The Great Perhaps
by alaska23
Summary: A girl who's crazy with everything Tolkien created and mad with fan-fictions, finds herself in the middle of the Middle-Earth! I try to keep the characters realistic as much as I can. T because of the language at some points, and also for the possible romance on further chapters ;) [Kili/OC][Both Book and Movieverse & also some additional original content]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first fan fiction and my I'm not a native English speaker. Please feel free to warn me when I make mistakes, hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I only own my own character and nothing more.**

* * *

"Shit.." she whispered sharply, as she checked the time from her laptop. The room was in darkness except for the the computers cold white light, and it was 4 AM. She had been doing this for weeks now, reading fan fictions till the first lights of the day, sleeping 3 hours at most, if only she was smart enough to turn off her damn computer and force herself to sleep.

She hadn't study for the crucial midterm of hers that'll kick her ass tomorrow, and she had promised herself 6 hours ago to stop reading and start studying after finishing that story. One story led to another and hours passed by, but she remained in her bed and away from the real world. What she was doing is no ordinary reading, she was _living _in that stories. Taking every single word and every single time imagining herself as one of the characters. She has been to numerous adventures to this day, conquered the Middle-Earth, destroyed the ring, took back the Lonely Mountain and fought too many fights. Also, she has been romantically involved with Kili, the dwarf, which she couldn't give an exact number of the stories she had read about him.

Although she made sure that she would totally screw up in her upcoming exam, at least thought she'd be luckier if she got some sleep, even if it's for 2 to 3 hours only. Unwillingly turning off her lap top and curled under her blanket, she made a fluffy ball out of herself. No need to say that she would try to have an amazing dream involving handsome dwarves and adventures that'd take anyone's breath away.

* * *

She half-woke up to the sound of roaring wind -_wait, what? _It was ridiculous to open her eyes for it, for it was spring and practically impossible for a storm at that time of the year. So in an attempt of sleeping again, she reached for her blanket which must have fallen on the ground. Without opening her eyes, her hands fathomed the _wet soil_.

_Dude, that's it, _she thought, finally gathering the will power to open her eyes in anger, only to find herself lying on the cold wet ground in the middle of a forest.

"Oh my, I'm finally having a lucid dream!" she sang in utter joy. She's been trying to have one for months, but did not succeed. Apparently, to this day. _So much to do, so much to do!_ she screamed in her head. _Am I in Middle-Earth, please be it so! Where to go? To Rivendell? To Shire, or Rohan? Oh, no freaking out, and more importantly, NO WAKING UP. I can't ruin this._

She stood up and tried to figure out where exactly that place was. Having read tons about Lucid Dreaming, she figured thinking of a place to go would kind of teleport her there. In excitement, she closed her eyes and started to visualize the green fields of Shire. Images of tiny, yet lovely homes with round doors passed her head by. Little hobbits with huge wooden pitchers filled with beer in their hands, dancing, celebrating..

Opened her eyes in anticipation and saw she's still standing on the same spot without being moved an inch. It frustrated her, hadn't she imagined the place well enough? Closed her eyes and tried with a more detailed portrayal this time, yet, nothing has changed. She was shivering in her _Lord of the Rings _t-shirt and not so preventive of the wind leggings. The worst part was the shoes. Or, _not having one._ Tried to get herself an imaginary, furry and warming coat but again, it didn't work.

"What does it any good to know I'm dreaming, if I can't do anything with it?" she grouched furiously to herself, as she started walking without really knowing which direction to go. "Maybe I'm not even in Middle-Earth." she thought, "And at least I couldn't be hurt in a dream. I'll wake up if I get killed anyways." By the moment she said those words out loud, she thought that maybe it would be better to wake up.

She kept wandering absent-mindedly, until hearing the noises of a rider approaching from not so far away, and definitely not in a slow pace by the rattlings getting rapidly louder. Not knowing if she must stay still and try to talk to the rider - _it's only a dream after all, she may even created that rider in her head to get some help - _or climb onto the closest tree, in order to avoid another nightmare. She definitely had enough of 'em.

The fear of turning that dream into a nightmare was enough for her to run to the closest tree and pull herself up there in the fastest way possible. She was hearing the rider getting closer and closer each second. He was a few meters behind from where she nested. At the worst time anyone could pick, she put her weight into a weak branch and started floating in the air on the ground with a high pitched scream. At the same time she was feeling a little bit relieved that this stupid dream would be over in seconds. Falling is another way to end a dream, she recalled.

The rider would run her over if he hadn't yanked on his horse's mane just in time. She hit the ground _hard, _and saw the silhouette of the rider who was holding on to his reared up horse. Was he wearing a pointy hat or something? Then she heard the horse neighing, and nearly passed out when her eyes pierced by an intense, white light coming from the stick in riders hand. _-guess I'm finally waking up, _she thought

_But she wasn't waking up._

He quickly got down on the ground and moved away the gleaming stick away from her face. Even though she was blinded by the bright spots floating before her eyes, she still could tell that the rider was looking ridiculously tall.

_She felt a sharp pain from hitting the ground so hard.  
_

As the rider lowered himself anxiously, her vision was coming back.

_She wasn't supposed to feel any pain, and should have woken up already._

She finally could see the figure in front of her. He was definitely no ordinary rider.

He was-

Gandalf.

And she passed out.

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**End Note: Please review and tell me what do you think :)**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **_**Thank you for the reviews! I wasn't expecting even one, let alone 4. I think that we're going to have so much fun, ladies. :)**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own none of the characters, besides Fai. Only thing I own is a damn exam in 2 hours.**_

* * *

The night was cold and dark, and a stiff wind was stroking Fai's face. That, and the bouncing cause by the horse riding made her partly open her eyes. She felt a rough fabric brushing her bare arms making her feel itchy, and a long, white beard tickling the tip of her ears. _Oh, must be Gandalf's, _she thought.

_MUST BE GANDALF'S?!_

Suddenly she came to her senses and felt as if someone had dipped her in a pool of ice cubes. And it couldn't be from the weather, since she was wrapped in the tails of _GANDALF'S ROBE, _it was from the shock. In fear of the unknown, Fai couldn't even move a muscle. She sneakily looked around without tilting her, trying to catch a glimpse with only her eyeballs moving. However she couldn't see anything but the wizard's hands shielding her from both side, in the same time directing the horse. _This is presumably Shadowfax_, she thought. _I am on Shadowfax. With Gandalf, the whi- wait, the grey?_

Not trying to figure out whether it was a dream or not, she tried to understand what was happening in that particular moment. _Gandalf is still grey, so I didn't only travel through places, but also went back in time_, inspected the overly-confused fangirl. And they were on a horse, seemingly in a rush looking by their speed.

And then there was the excessive pain. She wasn't aware of the damage, it could be a broken bone or something. All her body felt sore like she exercised non-stop for a week. As they kept going, she wondered what happened to her. Was it a dream or not? She fell, and didn't "wake up". She was in pain, and it wasn't feeling like a dream kind of pain. She had been hurt in her dreams before, killed even, but the pain wasn't _this _real and the dream had ended after being killed. She started coming to terms with the fact that she really was in Middle-Earth and riding with Gandalf, and the realization took her breath away. She couldn't hear the wind anymore, there was only the annoying ringing in her ears. Suddenly there was a bad taste in her mouth, and she started sweating cold. Last thing the girl knew was that they were slowing down, and then she passed out,

Again.

* * *

"Excuse me. A tad excessive, isn't it? Have you got a cheese knife?"

"Cheese knife? He eats it by the block."

_Voices.. Lots and lots of voices. One of them was squeaky and shy while others are rotund and joyful. Had she fallen asleep in the middle of a gathering? Her head was aching way too much to prevent her eyes from opening. She wanted to wake up but it wasn't that easy._

"Excuse me, Mr. Gandalf, can I tempt you with a nice cup of chamomile tea?"

_So still Gandalf, it is. It was either the dream was way too stubborn, or none of them was a dream at all. It was time to open her eyes, but maybe she could stay half asleep for a little bit longer-_

"Oh, no thank you, Dori. A little red wine for me, I think."

_What in the-? Did he say Dori? Could it be-_

"Gandalf, the lass is waking up."

She must've opened up her eyes from the shock of hearing a Dwarven name. And her awe doubled up when she finally saw where she was.

"Well, it was about time." said Gandalf, standing up from the little chair he was perching on and walked slowly as he bent over to dodge the chandelier that was threatening his head. He was looking even taller now that he was in a Hobbit's home with a pretty low ceiling.

"How are you feeling, little lady? You fell out of nowhere back there!"

_Gandalf the Grey. Was talking to her._ "I'm- my leg- I'm feeling pain but promise not to pass out." Fai stuttered. She didn't know how to speak with him and naturally she was still in shock. She was just about to cross the line of believing that these are not a dream, but the reality itself. She wanted to live in a different universe since the day she started reading. And _that universe _was the best thing she could ever wish for!

"Oin, a friend of mine is making a salve for your leg. You're lucky that it's not broken, but a branch cut it deeply when you fell."

She could barely held back her laugh to the thought that Gandalf thinks she doesn't know Oin. _Bring me a piece of paper, _she thought, _and I'll draw your complete family tree. _It was starting to get really fun, when she spotted Bilbo furiously walking around with the things he wanted to protect from the dwarves.

_Now wait a second. Dwarves.. Is this the night when-_

"So, you've woken up!" a cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts while another curious one followed, "I still can't believe how you've managed to stay passed out in the middle of all these noise."

Her heart skipped a beat. More than a beat, actually, she thought that it won't ever beat again. There they stood, the two male dwarf, with interested smiles on their faces. They were looking _beyond charming, _and Fai had their full attention.

"Fili."

"And Kili."

_At my service, _she cried in her head. Got a bit confused while noticing that they were looking like the twins of actors who played them, only better. Fili's hair was looking like pure gold while Kili.. Kili was indescribable. She felt her cheeks burning, and she wasn't even the blushing kind! The trauma of being there and the other from seeing these brothers neutralized each other. She was no longer questioning how she ended up there, and decided that maybe it wasn't be a dream. No dream could feel this real.

"Are you OK, my lady?" asked the blonde one, looking at the girl who apparently carried a tomato now, instead of a head. "I mean, you pretty much messed up your leg and Gandalf said that you've hit the ground really hard when you fell."

While Kili remained silent and kept studying her, she tried to adjust her voice to a moderate tone and answered Fili's question.

"Actually, I don't remember it very well. All I can remember was a bright white light." she lied. She wouldn't be able to come up with an explanation when she doesn't know what happened and how she ended up in Middle-Earth. Especially in the night that dwarves gather in Bilbo's house and hold a meeting about taking the Lonely Mountain back. She couldn't see Thorin around, but she knew better than her own name that he was the last to arrive. And she also knew that he'll be grumpy as hell for getting lost _twice._

"What were you doing on top of a tree, dear Lady?" asked Gandalf.

"I heard noises and I was trying to hide.." she confessed, no harm in telling the truth with this part. "I'm a wanderer and very far from home as I can recall. It must be the fall, I don't remember much. Only, my name. I'm - Fai." she stopped before considering whether her name was an acceptable one in Middle-Earth.

"It must be one nasty fall, but our lad here survived worse. He lives with a bloody axe in his head." said Kili with a warm smile, pointing Bifur with his hand. He was at the dinner table, rambling in Khuzdul and eating with Bombur - comparing with the way Bombur shoves huge pieces of cheese in his mouth, Bifur could be mistaken for a lady. The axe in his head was shining under the rather dim light.

"Uhm.." she mumbled, finding the right words that'd conceal her knowledge about them all was beyond hard, even without Kili looking at her with a gorgeous face. She remembered all the things in tumblr about him tried really hard not to chuckle.

"Oh, didn't mean to scare you, I- only you know, trying to tell you that you'll be alright."

"Yeah, in his own weird way." cracked up Fili. They had mistaken her struggle for fear of the axe in his head, but that was OK and bought her some time. She wriggled under what seems like someone's cloak, and froze in realization that she was wearing a damn _Lord Of The Rings _t-shirt, which would be impossible to explain if they were to see it.

"I- I want to wash my face-" she said, trying to get up. Holding on tightly to the cloak, she felt two pairs of arms escorting her. So, the brothers were _really that gentlemen, _like she had read dozens of times in countless fan fictions. She was about to reject their help just a second before she got stabbed by the sharp pain in her leg. So she skipped on one leg while the brothers on her both side kept her stood up.

She got in the bathroom and closed the door behind her, only to see her the print of her t-shirt was covered in mud when she had fallen from the tree. Sighing in relaxation, she dipped her hands in the wooden bucket of water and washed the dirt off of her face. So yeah, basically Fili and Kili were waiting for her behind the door and she had this messed up face covered in mud, tangled hair and ridiculous clothes.

_"Yeah, at least I did one thing right when I didn't study for that bloody exam."_

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**Ending Note: Hope this will only get better with each chapter, and I hope you enjoy reading it! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Getting positive feedbacks make me want to dance all day. Thank you for the support!  
****This chapter is longer than others, for my intent was to expand the story more. A tad of e****xcitement is waiting for you! :)**

**Disclaimer: I only own Fai and nothing more.**

* * *

"No, you can't come in!" Fai screamed in agony. She was lying on the bathroom floor in an awkward position and couldn't get up. She was trying to wear her Lord Of The Rings t-shirt inside out just in case but lost balance before sticking her left arm out of the sleeve and fell. Two young dwarves waiting outside heard the noise and attempted to go in there, but she protested.

"Well, you can't get up by yourself, can you now?" Kili shouted from behind the door, shooting a silent grin at his brother. Fili was more gentle though, "All right, my lady, but one of us really have to get inside and help you up."

_Shit, _Fai thought, _being awake for 10 minutes and already messing up. _In the mean time she was struggling to pull her damn arm out, but it was bent from her elbow which made impossible to move it, leaving her with a wrist got stuck in the sleeve. And somehow, she managed to make it worst by knocking over the bucket with her leg while floundering on the floor. She was soaking wet now, _wonderful._

The little scream she let slipped made Kili lost his patience. "I'm coming in, you better not be naked." Mischievously winking at his brother, he opened the door and got in.

_Of course you had to be the one to see me like this. Perfect. _"Close the door behind you, I'm embarrassed enough." Fai grumbled, without looking at him. Kili did as he told and kneeled beside her quickly. He then supported her back with his arm and made her sit.

"Are you alright? Did you hit your head again?" He asked, trying to make eye contact while all he saw was lots and lots of golden hair in every direction.

"No, not this time but- can you.. Help me with my hair first? Since I've got one arm stuck in my sleeve and you know, the other one.." She couldn't move the other arm because of their position of Kili kind of hugging her to keep her back supported. Young dwarf kept hugging her with one arm and gently pulled the hair from her face.

She forgot about the humiliating stucked arm situation for a second and blown away by his touch. Did everything not to blush this time, _since her face was fully exposed and there was nowhere to hide_, and looked him in the eye for the first time. That was when Kili noticed she had grey eyes.

"Uhm, now my arm, please?" said Fai, when he paused for a moment. A silent and suddenly quickened Kili held her hand from the wist and gently freed it from the shirt.

"Thank you."_  
_

"We have to find you new clothes, tho. These are all soaked. And apparently I have to dry my cloak as well." he said smiling.

So the cloak she had slept under was _his. _She couldn't believe it, one moment she was in another world trying to study somehow, and in the other she was under a cloak that belonged to the most-charming-dwarf-ever.

* * *

After wearing some clothes they had fixed her, and sneakily getting rid of her favorite t-shirt forever for the sake of her staying, she nervously settled in front of the fireplace. No one tried to talked to her, the dwarves were too distracted by the food and Gandalf was not around. They must be thinking of her as a passerby, as a_ local of the Middle-Earth, _for that matter. They weren't thinking that something had to be done about her, so she was welcomed and her presence didn't seem weird to them. She would getter better by the morning lights, and just like that, she would leave. If only they'd known..

Considering she knew how that was all going to go, Thorin must have been on his way and there was no way he'd accept her to the company. In fact, even if he did, she didn't know if she'd fit in.

It was no longer books and movies anymore, she has never swung a sword before, nor she ever shot an arrow. There were _real creatures _out there. There was _real trouble _coming their way. And she knew it all.

The thing is, she really_ knew it all. _In a moment of pure enlightenment, she bounced in her seat.

"Where's Gandalf?" she then cried in utter panic. Even though they hadn't been introduced properly, Balin kindly looked at her and answered. "The Wizards's outside, smoking his pipe."

Fili and Kili were both looking at her questioningly. Not wanting to alarm anybody, she asked for their help with her eyes. And seconds later she found herself wrapped in _his _cloak again. They were walking towards the door, her arm wrapped around his shoulder and him supporting her by the waist. "Is everything alright, did you remember something?"

"I just need some air. Take me to Gandalf."

* * *

She found Gandalf on the sofa, blowing the smoke out in very detailed shapes. There was a beautiful moon, and he seemed rather calm. But then again, who could say what was on a wizard's mind? He turned his head and looked at them when Kili seated her beside the Wizard gently and left his cloak on her. He greeted Gandalf with a little smile and bowed his head, before quietly heading back inside.

Fai was freaking out. She knew Gandalf from the books. But she was never _in the books _and that upcoming conversation had never written before. So she didn't know how he would react, she wasn't even sure whether she should tell him or not. But apparently she was short on other choices and that was the only thing she could do in order to survive. Although, how could you tell someone that you've been reading their past, their present and _their future _your entire life, and you know exactly what's going to happen. More importantly, would anyone believe you?_  
_

Living in a world where you know _everyone _and their stories, their ancestors, their deaths, even.. She could happily pass out again, but Thorin might have come any moment, and Shire was the safest place that she could talk about this nonsense. _**  
**_

"We need to talk, Gandalf." she said, as if they've known each other for life. Gandalf's eyes fixated to her, curious, yet somehow knowing some important stuff was coming his way.

"I really don't know how to say it, so I'm going to say it as it is. _I know everything._"

Apparently, Gandalf was highly amused by her bold statement. "That's quite modest of you, don't you think you little lovely lady?" he said in utter joy.

She was having _a moment_ with Gandalf and hadn't got the time to embrace it, swearing to the way her luck works, she tried to break it down to him once more.

"I know everything about you, and Middle-Earth, and the reason why this house is filled with dwarves tonight. I even know what will happen a hundred years later from now. I know the fate of everyone in that room, Gandalf, you have to listen and I can prove it."

The wizard was looking troubled now. Someone else might've been burst into laughter by now, but he was no ordinary person. The things she said seemed truly overblown, yet, he was a Wizard and lived long enough to learn not to prejudice. He straightened his back and looked directly into Fai's light grey eyes.

"This definitely makes our night a tad more complicated than it already is.. Why don't you reveal your mystery, for I have seen many more of it to this day. Maybe we can figure it out."

It was the reaction Fai couldn't dare to hope for. She suddenly felt calmer. Holding on to Kili's cloak tighter, she told the tale of her arrival, intentionally leaving out the part with fan-fictions _and her splendiferous crush with one certain dwarf. _

"...and then you've found me, and brought me here. I still think this could be a dream, but that option rapidly fades away each second." she finished and looked the wizard in the eye.

"Tell me about this Tolkien fellow." Gandalf required. It surprised her that he was talking normally and asking about Tolkien like she just didn't tell him something that could be one of the weirdest tales ever. "Is he a wizard as well?"

For the first time that night, she didn't try to contain herself and start giggling. "By your definition, no. But in where I'm from, he really _is _like a wizard to us. I mean, he basically created a world, different races, countless languages and- and now- I'm not sure if he created them from scratch."

Gandalf took a deep drag from his pipe and eyed her intensely, as if he was trying to read her mind. She tried to remember if she'd ever read such thing in the books. Could he really? She wished for it to be true, for he'd know she's saying the truth then.

"Maybe 'your proof' can help us. Are you willing to tell?" he said, while blowing a huge smoke-castle out of his mouth. She knew exactly what to do, but it took a couple of minutes to remember the exact words.

"When your last guest comes in that door tonight, his first words are going to be, _'Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door.' _" Fai recited, hoping she had remembered it right for the perfect impact.

"This is a decent pledge. However, don't be offended if I have Oin checking up your head one more time for any injuries from the fall." he said, and it was ambiguous whether he's joking or not.

* * *

"You look tiny dear, trust me, you _have to _eat." Fili insisted. He was trying to make her hold a huge plate filled with food enough for 5 people.

"Oh, please, if you knew me then you'd know I'm the last girl one Middle-Earth who could be considered a lady. Just, call me Fai." she said smiling, the braids in Fili's beard were looking even more beautiful when this close.

"And there is wine also." interrupted Kili, throwing himself next to her in the chouch, without even spilling a drop. "Oh, _that I can accept." _Fai said, holding the cup from he handed and took a huge sip. It wasn't _that_ unbelievable to be in Shire anymore, however, being surrounded by dwarves, especially the dark haired one on her right was really a challenge. When his fingers brushed hers while handing her the wine cup, she felt her cheeks reddened. Somebody should really had to get a grip on this blushing thing.

"So what will happen to the lass, if she never remembers anything?" she heard Bofur asking at the dinner table. Pretended as if she didn't hear, and took another sip of wine, this time even bigger. She also saw Fili and Kili exchanging glances. _Glance all you want, but I won't be left behind, that Thorin thing must prove Gandalf right and he'll figure out what to do. I won't watch them leave in the morning. I'll stalk them if i have to._

"I think you should get some sleep, no- The time you've spent passed out doesn't count as sleeping." said Kili, taking the wine cup from her hands and slightly touching her fingers again. Dark circles were appearing under her eyes, and she was looking pale.

"I think I'm not the one you should worry about, look at this little fellow there, your friends should give him a rest.." said Fai with a smile. Her eyes followed Bilbo in the room, he was bouncing around like a mad person. _Oh, you lovely man, you've got a lot to encounter. _Little hobbit was storming around and a confused, shy Ori was tailing him with a plate in his hand.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?" said the dwarf oh-so-naively that made her want to hug him. Before he could finish the sentence, Fili stood up and took it from his hands.

"Here you go, Ori, give it to me."

When she saw Kili standing in front of the kitchen door, she thought he actually teleported himself. Fili threw the plate like a frisbee and Kili caught it. He immediately passed it on to Bifur, and he caught it _without even looking. _It was cooler than the movie's. In no time, almost all the tableware Bilbo owns was in the air, flying around in different directions.

She heard Bofur having fun with Bilbo about the knives and Kili started the song. She still couldn't believe she was _there._

_"Blunt the knives and bend the forks!_  
_Smash the bottles and burn the corks!_  
_Chip the glasses and crack the plates!_  
_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates_

_Cut the cloth and trail the fat!_  
_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!_  
_Pour the milk on the pantry floor!_  
_Splash the wine on every door!_

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;_  
_Pound them up with a thumping pole;_  
_And when you've finished, if they are whole,_  
_Send them down the hall to roll!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"_

Bombur was eating the remaining crumbles in the plates while Bofur played the clarinet, even Oin was singing along using his ear trumpet. Balin was almost the best thought, making plates jump back to the kitchen, with another plate in his hand. And his expression was just priceless. Fai couldn't see the rest for not being able to look away from Kili.

The song ended and she stopped breathing immediately.

Three resonant knocks heard, as she expected.

Gandalf locked eyes with her and revealed the obvious.

"He's here."

* * *

In a moment, everyone was at the door, even Fai, leaned against Kili. And Bilbo opened the door. She was trying brutally to hold herself together. _Thorin Oakenshield was standing there, looking weary, yet solemn._

"Gandalf," he said, "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."

Gandalf looked at Fai and she had neither seen nor read about that kind of a glance till that very moment.

* * *

**E.N: This is a long one, hope I didn't make any mistakes. Feel free the review, they are encouraging me to keep going. :) enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: Here I am again! :) I don't know if it's any good but I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Writing dialogs for Gandalf and trying to keep him in character is really hard. Again, thank you for the reviews, the constructive criticism and all the support! And I'd like to share a part of my response to Birdy21's great review with you guys as well.**

Birdy21: Reading that kind of stories is fun, but I'll try to be more realistic and give them the time they need. :) Right now I'm trying to keep it to the level where Fai has an enormous crush as her fictional love is now standing next to her, while Kili only being himself and nothing more. Also I want this to be more than a story of romance, but a bit more complex and I gave some hints of it so far.

**I'll definitely update before the new years but Merry Christmas to you all! Happy holidays. **

* * *

Gandalf's face clouded with sheer terror. Fai couldn't be sure but he was looking even taller now, if such thing is possible. But she didn't understand, thought her secret could get her a place in Middle-Earth, not Gandalf's wrath.

It was wrong to call it "wrath" and leave it though, there was a carnival of mixed emotions on the wizard's face. Whatever it is with Fai was clearly out of his territory, and he was infuriated with desperation. He looked like he wanted to grab her by the arm and draw the answers off of her, as if his crazy eyes would magically made her unravel the mystery. She shivered in fear and hoped that Kili didn't notice since she was leaning against him to stand still.

He was just like the movie-Gandalf but she never wanted to believe it. Whenever she saw or read about Gandalf's anger, it completely conflicted with the Gandalf image in her head. The Gandalf she wanted to imagine was a calm and good-tempered man. But there were scenes of him hustling Sam, and she remembered how he _lost it_ for a moment when Pippin took Palantír from him. And now, was she the reason for it?

Gandalf's face stayed like that only for a moment though, and no one else noticed. It was Fai who couldn't get it out of her head, knowing she would have to deal with some serious business later in the night. But even with all these thoughts, she noticed the change in the atmosphere with Thorin's arrival. Dwarves were happy to see their leader again and she saw how Fili and Kili's eyes shone. It was astonishing how naive and childlike they looked when Thorin was in the room. It wasn't about _their_ behavior, it was something with Thorin that makes anyone seem different. All the dwarves were kind of relieved and became more sure of themselves, now that their King is back. Thorin really looked like a one true King. After seeing him, she could tell how the title _King Under The Mountain_ suits him, and him only.

However being noticed and to be questioned were the last things she wanted at that very moment. Unfortunately Thorin looked at the girl standing in between his nephews directly in the eye and inquired. "I wasn't quite expecting to see a young woman in our company tonight. Who are you, if I may ask?" His voice had a deep tone and it was hard to tell whether it was just the way he speaks or it was caused by anger.

She wanted to hug Dwalin who spoke on her behalf, "The lass fell from a tree and wounded herself, _Tharkûn _brought her here." Seems like the dwarves were yearning to talk to him, so they started to tell everything they know about Fai by interrupting each other.

"She hit her head" said Ori, sounding sad for her and Oin added, "and isn't rememberin' anythin' " while nodding his head, the last one to speak was Kili, "and her name is Fai."

Thorin's eyes softened a bit, not much, but only to reveal that he missed his kin too. Gandalf took advantage of this small moment and took the attention off of her and direct it to Bilbo. "This is the Burglar I told you about. Mr Bilbo Baggins."

Seemed like Bilbo also didn't like to be the center of attention. Looking at the king standing in front of him, tried to understand why he's been referred to as _the Burglar. _Thorin studied him carefully with his eyes, as if trying to find a quality that would earn him the title burglar. Although there isn't a dramatic height difference between the two, Bilbo couldn't help but feel very, _very_ small before him._  
_

"Tell me Mr Baggins, have you done much fighting?" he asked, looking almost sure of the answer he'll get.

"Pardon me?" Bilbo was absolutely frustrated. The following question popped his eyes out.

"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?"

Bilbo rambled something about Conkers and Thorin declared him as a grocer than a Burglar. While dwarves are getting troubled by the insufficiency of their new member-to-be, Fai was trying to hide her delight. Couple of minutes later, dwarves followed Thorin into the dining room and Fai found herself once again escorted by the brothers. This skipping on one leg thing was starting to get to her nerves that she couldn't even feel excited by the presence of Kili anymore. She wanted them to take her to the couch by the fireplace again, claiming that she wanted to rest. When in fact all she was trying to do is to ignore Gandalf, or Thorin. She didn't know which was worse.

Sitting on the couch by herself and watching the flames, she could hear the dwarves are talking about their quest. Their excitement and determination made her heart ache, she could tell by their voices how much they long for their homeland. It was all jokes and songs before Thorin's arrival but now their spirits were captured by their quest, she knew they'd even give their lives for it. It was sentimental to be in the world where people look out for each other, loyal to each other and doesn't easily give up to fear. It felt so good to be surrounded by dwarves, after all the bullshit she dealt with in her own world. Kili's voice coming from the dining room pulled her out from her thoughts.

"And you forget, we have a wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time."

Fai smiled at his naivety. Without all the distraction caused by her huge crush, she could see how _young _he actually is. And how hard it must be for him to grow up without a father and away from his homeland. Not being able to see the amazing kingdom he's been told his entire childhood. He was passionate and gutsy, but he owed these to his youth. It was easy to mistake him as a great warrior and a brave dwarf and just fell in love with him. But he was none of those yet. He wasn't even aware of how serious the danger awaits for them. But there was more to this fascinating dwarf than she ever read. He was charming, no doubt to that, but seeing how innocent and young he was, that made her admire what's _in_ him. And of course, what could become of him. The even younger girl herself did not realize but, there was the most heart warming smile on her face.

* * *

"Be quiet, we need to have a word, before that eager dwarf army notices my absence."

"_What in the-?!" _she jumped couple of inches in her seat because of the Wizard creeping up on her like that. How could he even managed to flee amongst them anyways, considering his height? Without letting her say anything, he literally dragged her to the sofa out in Bilbo's garden. She couldn't help but miss Fili and Kili's gentle ways.

"So you have proven your point," said Gandalf in distress, quickly reigniting his pipe. "However, I am thrilled to think that '_I know everything_' of yours was exaggerated somehow."_  
_

So she thought as if it's true or not and began to mumble without realizing how irrational she sounds "I read the Silmarillion, the Lord of the Rings series _of course, _the Children of Húrin, Unfinished Tales, Roverandom, -oh, am I leaving anything out?" She had to stop in order to breathe but didn't, of course. Gandalf tried to process her words and before he got the time to interrupt, she continued.

"_Oh, what an idiot am I, _I also read the Hobbit, the complete tale of your upcoming quest. Want me to tell? Please Gandalf, take me along, convince Thorin, I'll tell everything I kno-"

"_IN THE NAME OF VALAR_ - Daro!***** have you been sent to destroy Middle-Earth? You fool- the company does not lack _another little_- Pe-channas!****** _it is unbelievable have you got no - you are just.. _ Dôl gîn lost!*******"

Fai couldn't even believe her ears. Gandalf must be swearing in Sindarin?! His face darkened and the air around them felt heavier. Even his eyes changed color. She shut her mouth and waited for this bilingual cursing to come to an end. It took him long enough. He was short on breath when he stopped, looking like he just ran a mile.

"You can not tell _anyone. _Not me, not any of the dwarves. Especially the dwarves. They must not know any of this. What you keep within can change the course of history, and messing with time, or fate would bring nothing but disaster. You have any idea how much trouble you can cause. You can bring an entire race to their end, destroy kingdoms, or build ones that shouldn't be built at all. No one can know. You, little child, are the most precious yet dangerous thing in Middle-Earth. No one must know you have this power. You, Henig********, you must be protected for life."

Fai was literally _scared to death. _She couldn't do anything but to sit there with tears in her eyes. And felt like she pushed the limits of idiocy. What was she thinking? Being in Middle-Earth, spreading the word and to remain unnoticed? Whoever captures her could live in wealth and safety as long as she shares her wisdom. And _they could make her do it. _Thinking about helping the dwarves was one thing, but if the rumor spreads, she could be captured by _anyone_.

"What's going to happen to me, Gandalf?" she sobbed in despair. She was 19 years old but at that moment she only felt like 10. She wasn't feeling like the other girls in fan fictions who fell onto the Middle-Earth and lived happily ever after. What she felt was utter terror. This was beyond her and she felt so small, like any other _normal_ 19-year-old trapped in another world would do.

For the first time, Gandalf's face lit with compassion. He calmly blow out a smoke-pony for her, and answered.

"As long as you keep _it _to yourself, we would be alright. You will join us. Thorin will be even grumpier, if that's possible, but this is beyond him and he has no say in this. I will think about consulting the Elves, guess it wouldn't be wrong to say that _you already know them. _But for now, let's focus on keeping you safe. And we must keep the changes in minimum, for your presence alone causes a disturbance in the future already."

Fai nodded and tried to look braver. She couldn't be weak around the company and make Thorin hate her more. She shouldn't be a burden. So straightened her back and looked at the wizard in the eye. Oh, what wouldn't she give for a drag from his pipe? Though the thought of wine bottles in the house made her immediately feel better.

"One last thing," Gandalf added, his eyes clouded again. "During this journey, there might be some situations where our lives are on the line. No matter what, and no matter who, _you should not do anything to change our fate. _You know the rules, you know the story. Don't help anyone when you must not."

She nodded again, thinking that this would be the hardest.

* * *

Fai woke up to the sound of couple of dwarves thumping around. It was Dori and Gloin who were trying to find a place to sleep. After talking to Gandalf, Fai went back inside and lied down on the couch by the fireside. When opened up her eyes, she noticed two beds spread on the floor, right next to her couch. Fili was sleeping in one of them, his blonde hair splayed on the floor. His chest was slowly moving up and down as he breathe. Fai was lying on her side end the first thing she saw happened to be Kili's eyes, looking up at her. They were lying next to each other, Fai being couple inches above. She scooted little bit further to the edge in order to see him better.

"What did I miss?"

"You know you were right about not being a lady. You literally sleep like a log, I can't even believe it." said Kili in response, he was grinning but also looking baffled for real. "Thorin and Gandalf got into a fight about you. And Gandalf got _really mad _that at some point I thought his head will drill the ceiling-"

"I know, right?! He really lengthens when he's furious!" said Fai, interrupting him with a genuine but silent giggle.

"Uncle Thorin _lost it. _He roared like an animal and cursed in Khuzdul, they went on for about an hour. Balin merged and forced him to come to his senses, for uncle was screaming that he doesn't want Gandalf's help anymore. Thank Mahal the old laddie know's his way around the King, he made Thorin gave up."

Fai was listening him with a "_did he really? did they really?_" expression on her face. She literally couldn't believe that 1) Thorin was convinced and 2) she slept through the entire fight.

"So, that means I'm coming.." she said, absent-mindedly. She was thinking about the upcoming wrath of Thorin during the journey.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure uncle is. He stormed out after the fight and haven't returned since." he joked, trying to lighten up her mood a bit. "And also, we are not sure if Bilbo is coming." After the comment on Bilbo, he looked a bit worried.

"We'll see about that in the morning then.." said Fai. Thinking about tomorrow morning was making her body numb. Looking at Kili's eyes once again, she recognized she wasn't paralyzed by his presence this time. In fact, she managed to have a decent conversation with him without blushing. It made her happy, if they were going to be on this journey together, then she'd like to operate when he's near as well.

"Yeah, ready to go to sleep again? Don't worry, I'll wake you up in the morning no matter _how deep _you sleep." he joked. Then he raised himself in his bed and pulled the cloak on the side of the couch to properly cover her. She didn't realize that it slipped away while she was sleeping before. He smoothed it out then gently tucked its edges under her and smiled, "The fire is about to go out and it gets colder in the dawn. Goodnight, see you in the morning!"

Fai wished him a good night as well, then turned her head in the opposite direction to hide her face and thought, _well, this blush is very well deserved._

* * *

**Ending Notes: **_  
_

**Daro!: Stop  
Pe-channas!: Idiot  
Dôl gîn lost!: Your head is empty  
Henig: My child.**

**Thank you for reading, feel free to shoot a review! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This chapter is a slower one, but I've got no hurry. I want to take my time and show how Fai bonds with the company itself and not just with Fili and Kili. I think that would enrich the story. Sorry for the possible grammar mistakes, and thank you for all those reviews and favorites. I still can't believe someone takes time to read something I write, let alone liking it!**

_FrankieFusciaxx: Thank you for your kind review, and I corrected that mistake. :) I'm going by the movie for now, but that doesn't mean I plan to do everything like it happened there. I'm also planning on using the book on further chapters. :)_

_Lisse Mirelien: I guess this chapter would satisfy your curiosity a bit. ;)_

_travellergirl: It is, actually, really easy to forget about the danger and instead only write about birds and butterflies, when you have control over a story and can lead your beloved characters to anywhere. Oh I'd die to write a long long chapter where Kili and Fai runs around hand in hand, having picnics and swimming in rivers. hahahaha however, I'm doing my best to keep it real and show you how hard it is to be in Middle-Earth with urban-girl qualities._

_Shippments4ever0725 & God Of Cake: THANK YOU SO MUCH YOUR REVIEWS MAKE ME WANNA JUMP ON MY BED._

**Disclaimer: I only own Fai, my little poor girl.**

* * *

"Ah come on, listen to me, I'm telling you, _he is going to come._" Fai insisted, whispering discreetly. She was riding in between Oin and Bombur and trying to make them raise their bets. The dwarves took wagers on Bilbo. She didn't place any bets though, taking gold from a dwarf on her first day didn't seem like a good idea. So she chose to make some win instead.

She was feeling comfortable around Oin, since he tended her wounds he was one of the few dwarves she interacted so far. And Oin seemed to like this little mysterious girl because she seemed like a though one. Didn't even complain once about her leg, and that was one nasty cut. "Awright lass.." he said while rolling his eyes, "Hey, Nori, if he shows up, you pay double."

Nori turned his head to look at him with a grin on his face, "Alright laddie, you'll be one broke dwarf by the end of the day." When he turned forward, Fai gave Oin a reassuring smile and he put down with his hearing trumpet deciding there'd be no more talking. Dwarves were riding rather quietly. Thorin was riding on the frontmost and Fai wanted to keep the distance at all costs. She managed to be basically invisible to him the whole morning, even though she still couldn't walk properly. While the dwarves were getting ready, Kili had introduced her to everyone, and they were all surprised at_ how quickly she memorized their names. _After finishing the preparations, they had fetched her a cloak and a pony. At first she was terrified but it only took her 10 minutes to get used to it, as the pony was really petite and lamblike.

Suddenly, there was a voice. A squeak, actually.

"Wait! Wait!"

They heard the voice calling out from way behind them. As it got closer, dwarves stopped their ponies one by one. Finally, the owner of the voice caught up with them. It was Bilbo, and he was out of breath.

"I signed it." said the hobbit as Balin took the parchment from him. Fai watched closely as he put on some sort of magnifying glasses and examined the signature. She wondered what he looked for, it must be one pure dwarven gesture. Whatever he was looking for seemed to please Balin, as he smiled at Bilbo and welcomed him to the company. Not to her surprise, Thorin wasn't impressed at all, he only opened his mouth to assign Bilbo a pony. In no time, they were on the road again.

Oin was the happiest, as he roared with utter joy. "Come on, Nori, pay up. Go on!" Nori threw a pouch of coins back at them, without even looking at Oin's overly pleased face. After securing the coins, Oin patted Fai on the back so hard that she almost fell from her pony. Bombur on her right caught her from the neck of her cloak as if she was a kitten, and mounted her back on the pony. While Bofur behind them cracked up with his hilarious laughter, Oin smiled contentedly to her. "I'm starting to take a liking to you, child!"

Gandalf looked back at them and locked eyes with her, worried of the Wizards reaction, her smile slowly faded away. However, Gandalf smiled and she could've sworn that he winked at her.

* * *

After the 6 hours ride it was only midday when they stopped for lunch. Thorin was not happy about taking a break before the evening, but Bombur's grumbling stomach drove everyone insane to the point where no one wants to ride near him. Honestly, Fai could use a break as well, since her thighs were hurting from the long ride. Of course she didn't say a word, nor showed a sign of discomfort. It was Bofur who dismounted and kindly escorted her to a place she could sit and rest. He had eyes so warm and friendly that makes him look like he's smiling even at the times he does not. She liked how his braids look, and the way he talks.

"We've been only introduced by the lad," he said, sitting against her. "You don't know much about the laddies, and we don't know a thing about you. D'ya even know where we headin?"

"Uhm, from what I heard yesterday, we're going to the Lonely Mountain." said Fai, she was always tense about the possibility of her big mouth giving her away.

"And for what reason?" smiled Bofur, hesitant about what to say Fai quickly came up with an evasive answer. "Gandalf told me about the quest."

Bofur nodded and didn't know what to think about this young girl. She was young, she wasn't a dwarf but he viewed her as he did Kili. They could be considered peers. _So 3 babies to look out for, _he tought. But it wasn't exactly like that, there was Nori taking great care of Ori and Kili got Fili. Even though Gandalf was the one who insisted on she must be taking care of, he wasn't really the nurturing type. Seeing her trying to fit in, riding for hours with an injured leg without complaining, hiding behind them whenever Thorin slows down.. All these things made him sadden for this child. He decided to look after her. In fact, it would be better for him to have somebody to talk, since Bombur was only available when he wasn't hungry (which was really rare), and Bifur was just.. He wasn't really talkative let say, at the very least.

Fili and Kili were sitting by the fire while watching Bofur and Fai. "It's weird, you know." said Fili, without further explanation. Kili nodded in agreement, as he was thinking likewise, and "What do you think Gandalf could've meant when he said '_this is beyond us_' to uncle?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I'm glad we didn't abandon her. With no memory and no place to go, it would only have been cruel." Fili answered, and he meant it. He didn't talk much with the girl yet, however, there was nothing to dislike so far. She seemed witty and fun, and it was nice to have someone different amongst them. She was a change of the atmosphere. "I wonder how it works, I mean, her memory loss. Wonder what she remembers and vice versa."

"I don't have a bloody idea," said Kili eagerly, "but Gandalf said she need to be protected and she has 13 swords! Well, maybe 12" he finished rather low-pitched, he couldn't be sure if Thorin would really protect her after all.

"And do you think that would be enough?" Fili's eyes widened in disbelieve, he really couldn't believe how ignorant his brother sounded. "We're in the wild, brother, she needs to be trained. She must learn how to use a weapon, how to hide, how to move quickly when we face the enemy. And believe me, although I'm happy that we didn't leave her behind, including her to our journey is no different then a death sentence. She can't even walk by herself, as in this moment. She should've been trained.."

"Thank you, and now I'm concerned _even more._" Kili frowned. "I- I never had something to protect, you know, besides you, even most of the time you are more than capable. Back in Ered Luin, I was one of the _babies_ and _I _was the one who needed care, training and protection. And now that she is here, more vulnerable than any of us, I can't stop the urge to be around and guard her. We took care of her yesterday and I liked that feeling. I'm helping her walk and everything, and this.. This makes me feel.. Useful." Fili nodded in understanding, and looked at Fai who still sits with Bofur over there, under the tree. He knew exactly how Kili feels, because Kili was the one who made Fili feel useful all the time. Like he had this constant duty to protect his brother and the duty itself protected Fili.

Kili continued explaining, "It's like- I don't know, it's something about our kin, I guess. Because this is more like an instinct."

"And there is also Bilbo," Fili added. "Maybe Thorin would protect Fai, but I'm not expecting him to believe that a burglar needs the one who needs protection. He was expecting something so much better and now furious with him for not meeting his expectations. So, we have to teach Bilbo how to use a sword or something before he got himself killed."

They continued to sit under the tree quietly, each buried into his own thoughts. Gloin were starting a fire while Bombur eagerly gathering the food he will cook. Gandalf and Thorin wasn't in sight, and one could really tell when Gandalf's not around, considering his size. All the dwarves were busy with their own business, and it looked like a quite noon where sun shines upon. Looking around, Fai wondered if they could be _this_ peaceful later on the quest. And when they couldn't, how the hell she was supposed to protect herself? She remembered all the wargs, the orcs, the spiders, the goblins and Azog, and shivered in fear. _Maybe it would even be better if I couldn't make it, for their sake, _she thought. No more of her to protect, no one to risk the fate of entire Middle-Earth.

"We are in no danger and even if we were, someone would've been found us already by all these noise those laddies make," said Bofur, interrupting her thoughts. When she turned to look, saw him with a clarinet in his hands. "No harm in lifting the spirit up, eh?" and started to play it. It was a soothing yet cheerful melody. She closed her eyes and let it take over.

* * *

"Tell me Gandalf, for I can not understand how my quest of reclaiming my homeland turned into this another, nonsense duty?" said Thorin, in exasperation. He was pacing back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Your purpose stands solid and no one told you otherwise." Gandalf answered impatiently. Excessive dwarven stubbornness was trying his patience for days. "Did you stuffed your ears with mud? What I'm saying is, this journey won't meet its end, if you don't protect this girl as your own."

"And that is what's been scratching my head, _Tharkûn_. How on Middle-Earh, a useless little girl could set the tone of our journey? What is it with her that binds our destiny to her well-being? You are bottling up secrets, Gandalf, and you know I am not the trusting kind."

Now it's Gandalf who was pacing back and front. He was getting to his nerves, this little dwarf. Ah, if he only knew.. Wizard has seen enough people putting their own desires and purposes ahead, instead of thinking _maybe there might be things greater than them, and some things are beyond their understanding. _Being this old was sometimes a burden on his shoulders.

He looked at the dwarf King and spoke with his calmest voice. "Promise you, dear Oakenshield, that you will understand. But now is not the time for it."

Thorin looked at the wizard, unsatisfied and angry still, but said no more. Instead, he turned around and disappeared from sight. However, the last thing Gandalf saw made him smile, as his sword was drawn, meaning he went scouting around for any possible dangers. _This must be enough for now, _he thought to himself.

* * *

They ate and jumped back on their ponies. Thorin and Gandalf were back in the last minutes of lunch, each came from a different direction. While the other dwarves pack, Oin tended Fai's wound once again and this time she got Bombur eying her with a worried expression. She had won his heart when offered him the food she couldn't finish. _If this is how it's gonna go, _she thought, _then he'd wanna marry me by the end of the journey. _Because the dwarves were eating so much and somehow they got the wrong impression that she needs as much food as they do. They filling her plate with food that'll do for 3 meals, every time.

On the road, she was riding along with Fili and Kili this time, one to her left and the other on her right. Bofur were following them behind, and she was glad to have Bombur in front of her, blocking the view so she couldn't see the back of Thorin's head.

"We'll train you, you know, the moment you get back on your feet." said Fili, taking her measure. "What weapon do you think that'd suit you?"

Fai relieved with the offer, though it was more of a briefing than an offer. "I am definitely not the axe kind nor I could handle a sledgehammer."

Kili cracked up at the image of her trying to handle those heavy weapons. "And no one expects you to, have you seen yourself?"

For some reason his words got her into a huff. She didn't want him to see her as _this_ fragile and weak. Fili caught up on her mood swing and smiled. "Dear, have you seen _him? _He can't handle those either, he goes with sword, bow and arrows."

Kili shrugged his shoulders in acceptance. "Yeah, but I am _the best _at what I use."

"And maybe you can teach me too." Fai asked, "Running with a huge sword would only slow me down, needless to say I'd be slained before even thrusting it in whatever creature. Bows are rather weightless and would let me protect myself without getting too close."

Fili admired her self-acceptance. She wasn't acting like someone she's not, and she was definitely smart enough to know the best way to protect herself. And she was, somehow, looking more aware of how dangerous Middle-Earth could be than any other dwarf, including himself.

"By all means, I will, m'lady." Kili answered bowing his head in fake chivalry that made her laugh. And he was feeling kind of happy that she asked _him. _"We'll see if you got the talent, though."

"You whippersnapper." she snorted, which made Kili chuckle even more. "Me _what?_"

"Illiterate much?" Fai said in return, grinning. "That is a word used for braggers like you."

"Well, wait till you see me using my bow." he said, not even offended a bit. However, there was something he didn't know, _she's seen him using his bow, _even though it was in another world and felt like another life really far away. She was _screaming his name _in a movie theater, goddamnit. Now they were riding side by side, mocking each other, even.

Watching those two bicker was really entertaining for Fili. He saw a side of her that reminded him of his dear brother. But he needed to interrupt before their chuckles and witty comebacks caught Thorin's attention. "We'll start tomorrow then. The next time we stop will be in the night-time, not a good time for archery training. Till then, you better take these daggers." He drew two middle-sized daggers from his belt and elongated them to the girl riding beside her.

She took them without a word. Those were the first weapons she has ever owned, besides the tear gas spray she carried with back on Earth. Carrying daggers made everything feel more real, and even more serious now. She tried to imagine the first moment she would have to stick them into something _or someone - _and trembled in distress.

* * *

**End Note: as always, thank you for reading! you just hang in there, promise the next episode will be very exciting! Don't forget to review! :3**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here you have a long one, consider this as a new year's gift from me! Hope you won't get bored reading it. :) **

**Thanks to Isabella, Shippments4ever0725, FrankieFusciaxx, DwarvenWarrior, leah, Borys68, Birdy21, travellergirl, Rori and Kayla for their lovely reviews! **

**Also, I have a suggestion. :) When you read the part with trolls, you might want to listen to the "Roast Mutton". It's the song that played on the troll scene, in The Unexpected Journey.**

**Hope I pulled it off, it was a hard chapter to write!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my little fighter Fai.**

* * *

_"Since that day, there is one I could follow, there is one, I could call King."_

Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thrór were sitting on a rock on the edge of the cliff, moonlight shining upon his raven black head. He was silent since the moment he scolded his nephews for joking about Orcs. He wasn't angry because he thought that they were disrespectful, there is no way on Middle-Earth that Dís raises impudent children. His anger arose from concern. A part of him was not feeling right for bringing them along, they were very young, ignorant, and stupidly brave.. Underestimating Orcs, now, how foolish was that? He feared their youth would be their-

And he loved those boys as his own, for he fathered them. He was always captured by his sacred duty though, so he took them along. They were Durin's sons after all, they were the future kings. And one of Thorin's responsibilities was to teach them how to be a true king. Fili and Kili, their presence was an absolute must in the day they took back Erebor. That'll be one hell of a tale to be told through centuries, and he wanted his heirs there the day they have fulfilled the Prophecy. Lost inside his head, King without a mountain beheld the pale horizon.

"Did you really have to make 'em sad, old lad?" protested Bofur, out of spirit, looked at Balin. Kept his voice down enough. "Look at them faces."

"I know the lads meant no harm, but this is a story we all have to remember every once in a while, especially on this lonely quest of ours.."

A sorrowful silence had been dawned upon them, making everyone sit on sidelines. Kili and Fili were restlessly settled by the fire, their backs leaned against the cold stone wall. Fai and Ori were sitting a bit further and she was stooped over something that looked like a very thick book. Ori's been carrying this huge journal of his with him everywhere, and accepted to show her when she curiously asked about it. "I am going to write and sketch everything." he said with his sweet and kind voice, "I've already documented plenty. Look." There was something about the way he talked, he was kind of lingering on the words, holding on to them a little bit more than he should. But surprisingly, it suited him.

When looked at the page he turned, Fai's jaw dropped in maze, _she _was on the journal! He'd drawn her sleeping by the fire in Bag End, with Oin tending her wound and then there was also Fili and Kili, looking at her with puzzled expressions on their faces. "Ori, this is _amazing!_" she said, "These are the best drawings I've ever seen! Can I, you know, look at the others as well?"

"No, I mean, excuse me, but those are not finished.." he said, "Promise I will show them once they're done."

Fai nodded in agreement and looked around. It was her first night on the quest. It was her _first night in the wild. _She's never been the camping type so she didn't exactly know how she's going to sleep. She didn't know how to keep herself warm. And to be honest.. She was scared. The Orc voices they heard before really freaked her out, although she did everything to hide it.

She wanted to get close to the fire, maybe warming up her body would warm up her thoughts as well. Suddenly her eyes shone mischievously. "Hey! Bofur!" she called out. "Wanna see a trick?"

Bofur raised his head and eyed her with curiosity. "Hit me, lassie!"

Fai got support from her arms and slowly lifted herself up. Keeping herself balanced, she managed to raise herself on her two feet. "No, Kili it's OK!" Fai prevented a really worried Kili from helping her. But he didn't even hear. "If you fall you'll get worse and then you couldn't be trained or run or hide or-"

"Here you go girl!" Bofur's laugh interrupted his chained objections and he finally realized that Fai was actually walking around.

"It's not hurting as much. I can step on it now." said Fai with a smile on her face. "Thanks to this fine lad of yours," she turned in Oin's direction and dropped a curtsey. Oin watched her with amusement.

"Can I sit with you guys?" she then asked. She felt the need to ask first, because before Kili jumped on his feet with worry, they seemed to have a conversation going on between them.

"Don't even ask," smiled Fili in return, and scooted over to the side so she could sit closer to the fire. Fai again stopped Kili from helping her, altough he tailed her closely and was ready to catch her whenever. She was finally settled in between the brothers and sat there silently while enjoying the fire warming her face.

"Well, how are you holding up so far?" the blond prince asked. "Do you need anything?"

"It's fine," Fai lied, she could definitely use couple more layers of clothing on her in that moment. Sitting by the fire was alright, however it would burn out in a few hours and she didn't even want to think about the cold. "Everything's fine. My leg, the food, riding on the pony, it's all fine. Once you train me, it'll all be even better."

"We'll see to it tomorrow," smiled Kili. "No worries."

* * *

It was the dead of night. Wind was howling and great numbers of eerie voices could be heard from far, far away. In where they sleep, however, there was a musical of various snorings. Somehow, dwarves were managing to be even boisterous while asleep. However, there was two that's been wide awake. Gloin, who took the watch and Fai, who couldn't fall asleep because of the perishing cold. Her bed was spread in between the cavity's wall and Kili. She held on to her cloak tighter and scooted just a little bit further towards Kili, in order to keep her back distanced from the cold stone wall.

Getting sick would be beyond terrible, and Fai couldn't recall a character that got down with the flu. Well, she would be the first one then. And what were all those noises anyway? She doesn't like to be a chicken all the time, and she has never considered herself a coward back on Earth, but in Middle-Earth everything was new, intimidating and dreadful. Now it was understandable to her the reason why Bilbo hesitates at first. She'd give anything to feel like when she did in Shire again. Bewildered still, but somehow in peace at the same time._  
_

"Oh for _Mahal - _what's with the clattering?"

Fai startled from the very sleepy voice came out of Kili. His eyes were still closed, she could see in the dark that he was scowling.

"I-I do-n't h-hear anyt-t-thing."

"That's because _you _were the who making it! _Holy Halls of Mandos, _you are freezing!" he whispered in the dark, he could've shout if it wasn't for the sleeping dwarves. He immediately took his own cloak and tucked Fai tightly, like he did back in Bag End. "Why didn't you wake me up? Why didn't you say something?" He was rubbing her cloak-cocoon from the sides swiftly, to warm her up as fast as possible.

Fai opened her mouth in an attempt to respond, but stopped in the half-way. She didn't want to stutter more, and honestly she didn't have any answer that would sound logical.

After a while, he stopped moving and looked at her, she could see the worry in his eyes. She got finally warmed and if it was any other dwarf, she'd jump right out and hug him in gratitude, but it was Kili and she just couldn't.

"Can we go back to sleep?" he whispered, seeing her cheeks red again swept off the worry in him. _She was nearly blue, for Mahal's-_

Fai nodded in return and Kili lay back down on his bed. She closed her eyes and felt really close to falling asleep. Couldn't help but notice the scent spreading from the cloak she's been wrapped.. It belonged to Kili, and became more and more familiar in only two days. Minutes later, _she_ heard the noise this time.

"Now I see what's it with the clattering." said Fai, keeping really quiet because of Gloin. Opened her eyes, only to found Kili lying on his side and his teeth chattering from the cold. "Here, take this. I can't let you freeze because of me, and I'm not even cold anymore."

He objected with a shivering whisper. "N-no b-bloody w-way. You w-will be cold again a-anyways."

"I won't sleep here all fluffy and warm while you freeze to death! Besides, if one of his princes die on me, probably Thorin would push me off a cliff and don't regret it even the slightest." It was even harder to protest in whisper. But harder, not impossible.

Kili laughed at her words with great difficulty from shivering. He didn't know what should they do. Finding another cloak would only be possible in the morning, as of now walking over this field of sleeping dwarves was unthinkable. "S-so, what d-do we do?"

She stood there in silence, without moving a single muscle. Only one thing popped up in her mind and she couldn't believe what she was about to do next. Too shy to say something, she slowly removed the cloak Kili gave and scooted closer to the dwarf who trembles like an aspen leaf. So close, in fact that there was only inches between them. She covered them both with the cloak. Kili was also silent, which was unusual really. Now they were both shivering, for reasons unclear. Of course, it could still be the cold. They weren't hugging or doing anything close to that. They just had to stay really close in order to be covered completely. Still, it was pretty intimate and made them both nervous.

She then mumbled quietly, "Uhm, we better, you know.. Wake up really early in the morning so-"

"-that no one finds us like this, yes." _  
_

They smiled shyly at each other before closing their eyes. Kili's no more stuttering voice whispering "Sleep tight." was the last thing she heard.

* * *

"Wake up lass, time to go."

She hardly opened up her eyes and saw Bofur leaning on her, giving her a slight nudge on the shoulder. Just in a second, all the memories from last night dawned on her and she turned to her side in panic. Kili wasn't there.

"Easy there, easy.. Get ready love, we're leaving in 5." Quite short on her breath, she stood up and searched for the back pack they gave her.

"Think fast laddies!" shouted Bombur. He was throwing various foods and fruits to each of them. So that was how they had breakfast on the run. Fai saw the bread meant for her flying towards her in a challenging angle. She reflexively jumped and caught the bread he shot out. Not forgetting to give herself the credit for that catch, she shouted back. "Thanks!" So her leg really was better.

Her eyes searched for Kili, she was dying to learn if anyone saw them _like that. _However, he was standing beside Thorin and Dwalin and the nervous expression on their faces sent chills down her spine. She tried to look away and ate her bread quietly.

They were on the road again in several minutes. Fai was riding along Bilbo this time. The opportunity of talking to Bilbo made her happy, however she was still pretty nervous about before.

"Good morning, Mr Baggins." she said, with a smile on her face. "How are you feeling today? Did you get used to your pony?" If a hobbit can't cheer her up, then nobody can.

* * *

The company rode all day, without giving long breaks. By the night time, they found a place that feels relatively safe and settled for the night. It only took Thorin 3 minutes to put Gandalf out of his temper. Wizard stormed out with massive anger, and no one knew where he left. Balin watched the whole fight in distress and thought if he left for good.

On the other side of the whereabouts, Fai finally caught Kili alone. She had been trying to talk to him actually, right from the moment she woke up. But for whatever reason, Kili didn't leave Thorin's side all day even for a bloody moment.

"I did it again, haven't I?" she said, approaching him from behind.

The dark haired dwarf turned around in panic, to her surprise. "HEY- I didn't hear you coming.. You did what again?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to creep up on you like that.. I did _that _thing, you know, that _sleeping like a log_ thing.. When I woke up you were gone, and I thought tha-"

His laugh interrupter her. "No, no, you were sleeping just fine. It's just, there was no need to wake you up, I woke up before everyone and you know, got out of our bed. I mean bed, the bed." He couldn't believe in his big mouth. _Our bed, really? Way to go Kili, way to go.  
_

However there was the biggest relieve on her face, she probably didn't hear anything that comes after 'waking up before everyone' part. "HE didn't see us? He didn't? Oh my, oh really I am the happiest Kili."

It was the first time she called him by his name and it felt weirdly beautiful.

"Who didn't see us?"

"_Thorin_, of course! I thought I had slept in and you couldn't wake up in time as well.. And when I looked around I saw you with your uncle and Dwalin, both had the unhappiest faces ever. I thought, they were somewhat scolding you for- you know."

They were both laughing at her hysterical assumptions, till _someone cursed in Khuzdul._

"Fili, what in the-?" His brother were standing right behind them, stunned, with two bowls filled with food in his hands.

"Someone should send a raven out to our mother, for both of his sons are dead men now."

In a moment of pure awakening, Fai slapped her forehead. Her eyes were twice the size. She _knew _what was going on, oh, she knew it so well.

"Kili, did we always have fourteen ponies?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Now it was Kili's turn to be petrified. He couldn't even let one word out. All the while Fai was trying to figure out how to deal with the situation, since it wasn't going as she knew it would. _Bilbo was supposed to be here, _however he was sitting very far away surrounded by dwarves.

"Should we tell Thorin?" Fili asked.

"Why don't you just give him a shovel and make him dig our graves himself? We should ask Bilbo for help. In fact he is the Burglar and he should know best." Brothers started a discussion about who to go and it was growing pretty wild. About five minutes later when they finally agreed on calling Bilbo, that was when things went crazy.

"Tell me she's not here because she went to get Bilbo," said Kili, his eyes closed and fists clenched.

Fili looked around shook his head no. There was no footsteps on the soil going backwards. "So," said Fili sarcastically, taking a huge breath. "We've managed to lose 2 ponies, _and a girl _in only 15 minutes."

That was Kili who hurled a pompous curse this time.

* * *

_"Oh, that's lovely, that is; a floater" _said Bert. He seemed like the ugliest, or at least it was what Fai decided. He were blind on one eye, and remarkably bigger than the others. She were behind them, her breath held tightly. They were bigger than she imagined, so big in fact, crouching down would be enough to hide from them.

The smell, the smell was unbelievable. She heard one of the trolls sneezing into the supper, and the other one complimenting on that. She were freaking out, but weirdly, it wasn't the trolls that scared her, it was the possibility of getting caught. Trolls looked creepy and wild and all, however their idiocity were making them less frightening. _  
_

She were hiding behind William. Facing the ponies, she tried to keep them quiet. They looked really happy to see her, squirming in their places where trolls put them.

_"I hope you're gonna gut these nags. I don't like the stinky parts." _said William, taking a look back upon his shoulder. As he attempted to stand up, Fai crouched so hard and became even smaller than a hobbit.

_"I said sit down!" _Bert hit him on the face with a spoon and made him sit down again. She was feeling the fabric of his underpants brushing her back. They were nagging and cooking, and _I got this, _thought Fai, drawing out one of the daggers Fili gave her. She were cutting the rope when William snooze again.

She had no idea what hit her. William wanted to tear a piece from his pants, he accidentally grabbed Fai instead. And literally _smashed her _to his face.

_I want to die, _she thought, covered entirely in something really sticky and gross, unfortunately happened to be the slime of William.

_"Argh! Blimey! Bert! Bert! Look what's come out of me 'ooter! It's got arms and legs and everything." _Perfect. Now William was swinging her around in panic._  
_

"Ah please, you'd be only lucky to have me coming out of your nose!" she blurted in a moment of rage. And regretted even before the last word came out.

All three of them were gathered around, she saw 6 eyes, well 5 if you consider Bert's condition, looking directly at her. _If you aren't the biggest idiot ever, Fai, then I don't know who is. _Now they were arguing over whether she's edible or not.

_"What are you, you wriggly thing, and 'r you for eatin'?"_

She rolled her eyes at the stupidity of his question, as if she would tell him that she's edible. _Yeah they're fooler than you, congrats girl. _"I'm not a wriggly thing, I'm Fai." she said, causing William to squeeze her in anticipation.

_"A Fai? What's thaa' and can we eat it anyway' "_ said Tom, fidgeting around with a confused face. It was kind of amusing, really, if she was not covered in snot and about to be eaten by three idiot trolls.

_"It's lyin' Bert! Hold its toes over fire! Make it sque-aaaaa!" _Tom's last word turned into a scream, as he started jumping around on one foot, while holding the other in pain.

**"Drop her!" **

Three huge, and one very small head instantly turned into the direction where the voice came. Fai saw a really rampageous Kili standing across them, with his sword pointed at the trolls.

_"You what?" _said William, truly confused. When a troll didn't look confused anyways?

"I said, drop her." spoke Kili. Emphasizing each word with great anger.

And so he did! She really didn't understand how the hell they obeyed, but before she knew, she was on the air, flying towards Kili. She saw him releasing his sword and spreading his arms to catch her. In a blink of an eye, they collided. She was on top of him, making both of them covered in snot this time.

Trying to regain consciousness, she heard lots of voices shouting. Thorin at the frontmost, all of the dwarves attacked Trolls. Even Ori was there with a slingshot in his hands. She saw Bilbo in the crowd as well, near the ponies, in search of something to cut the rope. She quickly pulled away from Kili, and he ran to pick up his sword. Both of Fai's daggers were drawn. Kili and her, they stood back to back. Thrusting their knives into any body part of a Troll that came in their way.

For a moment, Fai saw Bifur headbutting Tom's leg. Remembering the axe buried in his head, she couldn't held her laughter in. Bifur looked remarkably enthusiastic when fighting. Dwalin was roaring right next to him, hammering William's legs intensely.

"Watch out!" shouted Kili, Bert was on top of them, making a gesture of picking one of them up. "Got it," Fai shouted in return and they both stabbed the Troll in his finger. There was no time to high-five, but it would definitely be fantastic.

Dori fought near Ori and Nori, while Thorin stabbed some troll _in the butt. _They saw Bofur jumping around with his axe and then there was Bombur, beating Tom's knee _with an iron ladle?!_

Fili ran into them and kept up his guard. "Are you OK?!" he asked quickly, Fai and Kili nodded both. The trio got down on the ground and glided in between Bert's leg, and Fili stabbed him in the thigh when he turned around.

Suddenly, it all stopped. Trying to understand why the others don't fight anymore, Kili looked up and saw Bilbo in Trolls' hands, each held on to one limb.

"Bilbo!" shouted the prince, darting forward, only to be stopped by Thorin.

_"Lay down your arms, or we'll rip his off." _said Tom.

After a moment of hesitation, Thorin thrusted his sword into the soil, surprising everyone.

Minutes later, they were all unarmed and bagged, half of them tied onto a stick, while others were lying on the ground. They looked like worms, wriggling around like that. Bilbo was trying to save them, but he sounded like a nut. Only Fai caught on his little game and attempted to help, while all the others tossed death threats around.

Trolls were growing impatient and even hungrier, when William picked up Bombur, Bilbo protested in fear.

"No, no, not that one, he - he's infected!"

William looked at him in disbelief.

"Yes," Fai supported the wise Hobbit. "Yeah, yes, he got worms in his tubes."

William immediately dropped Bombur back to the pile of dwarves on the ground. His heavy weight made them moan in pain. Bilbo, however, continued with hope. "In fact, they all are infected! Yeah, they are filled parasites. It's disgusting, really, I wouldn't risk it."

Apparently, Kili wasn't fond of the idea. "We don't have parasites! You have parasites!"

"Dude, _really?_" muttered Fai, rolling her eyes. Tried to elbow him but it was impossible when one is shoved in a bag.

Even Oin without his hearing trumpet caught up! "I've got parasites as big as my arm." Fai bit her lips to not laugh.

"Mine are the biggest parasites, I've got huge parasites!" said an overly-eager Kili. It seemed to be turning into a competition, as all the other dwarves began to describe their imaginary parasites. At one point, it became so absurd that even Bifur was mumbling in Khuzdul about _his parasites._

It was then they heard the old, but strong and familiar voice of their beloved wizard.

"The dawn will take you all!"

Now the Trolls were discussing whether they could eat Gandalf. In the meantime he quickly struck his staff to the huge rock he's standing on, split it in half and let the bright beams of sunlight came in and blind them all.

* * *

**Ending Note: I wish you all a happy new year! :3 Reviews are as always, overly welcomed!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well hello there! First chapter of 2014, hope it meets your expectations. I'm amazed by all the response I get from you guys. 3k+ views, lovely reviews and some of you even added me as their favorite author... This is surreal.**

_Lisse Mirelien and Birdy21: thank you for your constant support. I'm lucky to have you as my readers and I'm happy you keep reading it._

_DwarvenWarrior: Thank you for your constructive criticism, I tried to take care of some in this chapter. :_

_DJpaigeDJ: Hahahaha that means we are really alike, cause the first chapter was based on my night before starting this story. It's only that night, tho, it's not like I'm waking up on Middle-Earth like that lucky Fai bastard of mine! :) And dear, your 2nd comment gave me the biggest smile and all the courage I needed to finish this chapter. It wasn't my intention to finish it tonight. (you'll be reading this tomorrow but it's 2 AM here.)_

**About this chapter, I tried not to lift any dialogues from the movie. I even abandoned the "T****hese are Rhosgobel Rabbits; I'd like to see them try." along my broken heart. Then again, writing certain dialogues for certain characters were really challenging and educative. (for example I think Gandalf vs Radagast turned out to be just fine)**

**I changed the events a bit, left some parts out and naturally, added some in. A chuckle at the very and is guaranteed. :)**

* * *

"DON'T EVEN DEFEND YOURSELF! When we realized you were gone, I lo- I mean we _lost it!_"

One could thought that being battered by some dumbass trolls would be enough. But there they were standing at the mouth of the cave, Kili and Fai. Kili was stomping madly with his fists clenched. Fai, on the other hand was calm at first, but as his scolding continued her anger built up in her little by little.

"For the last time, you damn dwarf, I was just trying to save your asses! I'm tinier than you both, needless to say that I have the ability to shut my pie hole when needed! I could steal the ponies back, I really could, if it wasn't for that pudding-head using me as a fuckin' napkin!"

It felt weird to swear whilst in Middle-Earth. But even Gandalf swore in front of her even though it was in another language, so why couldn't she? She crossed her arms and gave Kili the crankiest glare. She _knew _he was the protective kind, but she wasn't just going to stand there and get it in the neck.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! You're not capable of defending yourself! You couldn't bloody walk the night before, you just got lucky this time! If I didn't get there on time, you'd be split in half." It was like he swore an oath on not listening to her no matter what. They were looking quite hilarious, actually. Trying to keep their voices down so their fight doesn't become a live broadcast to those are in the cave. Shouting below their breaths, both stomping like children, they were looking more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

"Well you've showed up on time tho, haven't you? And I _thank you _for that, see, I have the decency to THANK SOMEONE WHO SAVES ME. _I _too Kili, deserve a thank you in return."

"You don't even understand-" Kili hissed, narrowing his eyes. "I'm not- I'm just not talking to you till I cool off. And I don't think I will be anytime soon."

"Fine." Fai hissed back.

"Fine!"

After "fining" each other, she stormed off into the cave without even looking at him once more. Trolls had been hoarding up inside the goodies they steal. It was like a flea market for weapons and some gems and jewels. Dwarves were all around, seeking weapons for themselves. There was an excessive smell in the cave but mentioning it would only be stating the obvious. Besides, Fai wasn't the one to talk with Troll snot all over her.

"Hey, I found these for you."

It was nice to hear a voice that doesn't call her names. So when Fili spoke, she turned to him in gratitude. It was until seeing what he brought; a bow and a quiver filled with arrows.

"You should've find me a sword or more knives instead. I'm not going to be trained by your preposterous brother." she deadpanned. Her cold declaration made Fili arch his eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that? You were right about the archery, it's the safest for you." How did they manage to have a quarrel in no time anyways? He knew Kili was flipping out about her action, but Fili thought his brother would keep it to himself. But Fai's behavior clarified that he so did not. Prayed that it wasn't that bad after all, he made another attempt.

"If Kili bummed you out, just ignore him. You know, being protective is in our nature and he is a bit quick tempered.."

"He said he won't be talking till he _cools off. _Well, tell him to take his time, cause I'm not talking to that idiot ever again."

So it was _that _bad. Fili wanted to laugh up his sleeve because they were hilarious, however couldn't dare to. If Fai did get angry with him as well, then she wouldn't let him to be around, and even though Kili put it into words dangerously wrong, he was still right. She needed protection.

"Anything you say, m'lady. I'll train you with the knives and all." Fai only nodded in return and started poking around the piles for some knives. The company had found some helpful items. Gandalf fixed Bilbo a fine sword and Thorin found himself an amazing one as well. All Fai was wishing for was a bar of soap and a river to bathe in. The only thing that made herself feel better was that none of the dwarves were better themselves. She had Kili in snot when she landed on him, and the rest of the company were stinking cause of the bags they've been put into.

"Someone's coming!"

The sound of dozens of swords pulling out followed Thorin's alert. All of them started running from the source of mysterious noise, with their guards put up. Fai was side by side with Bilbo and Fili. Bilbo's new sword and Fai's daggers were up and ready as well. Fili, to her left was holding her arm, making both of them run at the same pace.

A _sled pulled by rabbits _crossed their path and made all of them stop in a blink of an eye. Fai, Fili and Bilbo crashed in to Oin and Gloin, happened to run in front of them. And a second later Dori and Nori hit them from behind, jamming them in between. _"Damn.." _she moanad with her last breath.

"Radagast the brown! What on Middle-Earth brought you here?" Gandalf's voice heard from the front of the bunch. _Is Radagast here already, _she thought remembering what was going to happen next, _this is no good. _Her heart began to race and she could hear the blood pumping through her veins. She had to be trained by now, and now it could be too late when they come.

"Something evil, Gandalf. Something sinister to the core." The brown wizard was looking delirious and the tip of his nose were crimsoned. He wore an hat that resembles Bofur's and it was hard to find a spot on his clothes that wasn't ripped, ragged or covered in poo. And the most appaling thing about this wizard was that there were animals dwelling on him, woodnotes coming from the inside of his hat could be heard, and there were mice and porcupines peeking from his pockets. And there was.. Bird poo, hardened on his hair.

None of the company were familiar with this kind of madness except Gandalf. They all stood there in incredulity as Gandalf did the talking. Fai noticed with the corner of her eye that Ori was sketching the brown wizard with his rabbits. It was surprising how he manages to draw in such narrow workspace. She tried to stood still to avoid tilting his arm, and heard swishings coming from the paper.

"A darkness has twined around the Greenwood. The air is fouled with decay. Plants are sick, so are the trees. Also webs are into the bargain as well. Gandalf, the forest is covered in webs." His eyes were filled with worry. Fai could see how he was affected by all, as if what sickens the forest was sickening him as well. He was feeling the malady in his bones. He was looking unbalanced and there were dark circles ringing his eyes. The words caused him great pain as they leave his mouth.

"Webs?" asked Gandalf, it sounded more like a question to himself. Dwarves' glances was landing upon the two wizards by turn, as if they were watching a tennis game. Ori gasped after hearing about the webs, and Fai heard Bofur's husked whistle. Two wizards of two different colors however, didn't seem to take a blind bit of notice of anyone but each other at that moment.

"Exile me if it is not true, but I know for certain that they are some kind of spawn of Ungoliant, that spiders. And trust me when I say _giant ones. _I followed them after they attacked me in my cottage..." His malicious words startled the dwarves. Some of them got a tighter grip on their weapons. She felt Fili getting closer to her and Bilbo instinctively, as if the three of them weren't standing on the same square meter. Bilbo seemed terrified, the nature as he knows it, does not "get sick" just like that, and the spiders in Shire, well, the biggest of them was in the size of a coaster. The grass was green, the flowers were bright and colorful and the fields were fertile. He felt even farther from home and it made his heart ache. "...and they come from Dol Guldur."

"Dol Guldur? It's out of the question, the old fortress is abandoned, and abandoned it is for years." quavered the grey Wizard. Fai scared that he would grow taller again. She felt her hands ache from holding onto her daggers too tight. Too tight in fact, that her knuckles had gone white. What she was afraid of could be about to come in any moment. Wizards would ran out of words soon, and she was scared to death of what might follow after.

"Are you alright?" Fili's whisper pulled her back to reality. He was eyeing her with a note of worry on his face. Fai felt his hand holding her upper arm and felt thankful for it since to remain afoot was slowly becoming a problem. She nodded comfortingly since she couldn't reveal the true reason eating her up inside. "I'm just- it's just hard, listening to what they say." Her statement got more convincing with the word _necromancer _coming from Radagast's lips. The word turned into an imperceptible breeze that made them all shiver. Suddenly Radagast slid into some sort of coma and his eyes started to stare vacantly, however he didn't stop talking. Fili's grasp on Fai's arm went tighter as Radagast maundered about what happened in Dol Guldur.

He came back to himself with a strong jump after finishing the story. "I'm sorry."

Gandalf helped the brown wizard with a draw from his pipe. He then exhaled, seeing Gandalf looking at him questioningly. Without letting him speak, Radagast pulled out an object wrapped in a piece of clothing. Fai couldn't see what it was since Oin and Gloin were standing in front of her.

Then she heard the howl. Not coming from afar.

She bit her lips as a very tense Bilbo asked whether it was a wolf or not. "No," said Bofur, graveness dripping from his voice.

"That ain't no wolf."

* * *

_It _leaped in the midst of them, knocked down one of them, which one she couldn't tell. The beast was bigger than she remembered. Her heart stopped beating the moment it growled, and bowed its head towards the dwarf he was standing on. _Which one of us, _she cried in her mind. It all happened in a blink of an eye, as Thorin slaughtered it with _Orcrist, _another one emerged behind but fell down the second it took an arrow to the head. And dropped dead when Dwalin stabbed it in its chest.

_So it wasn't Kili that got under._

It was Bifur, who insanely got back on his feet in wrath and searched for something to headbutt. Fortunately there was none. Thorin pulled his sword off of the beast.

"Warg-scouts." he spat. "If there are wargs then _Orcs_ will follow."

Dwalin's face got crooked with anger when the certain word came up. They all stood there in disbelief, it was no coincidence, these creatures were especially sent for them. Fai felt Kili's worried gaze, but she didn't turn to meet it. She made sure that he was alright before and that was enough. Instead, she returned to Fili and spoke in a low voice. "Lend me a sword. Knives would not be enough."

Fili shook his head softly, his gaze hardened on the contrary. "You won't be needing one, for we will be protecting you. You said it yourself, a sword wont be suitable. Ours at least, will not be anyway, they are heavy." She rolled her eyes, knowing perfectly that she definitely will be needing one. She felt good with the knives before, while fighting with trolls but they were anything like wargs. They were heavy, slow and predictable. Wargs, on the other hand were fast as bullets and they have sharp teeth and claws like blades. She had to learn how to use a weapon, any weapon, as soon as possible. Since they didn't talk to each other anymore, wondered how she would learn archery from Kili.

"You are being hunted." hissed Gandalf, stating the obvious.

"But why, in the name of Durin-" Thorin was ready to go mental in any minute, too bad there wasn't time for it. As another howling echoed in their ears, Dwalin interrupted impatiently. "We have to get out of here."

Radagast got on his sled and drove in the opposite direction, just to mislead some of the wargs. Now they were running close to each other. Kili was standing next to her again but Fai didn't even bother to look at him. She just concentrated on the running. She never thought she could run this fast, but it was amazing what one can do, when her life is on the line. Gandalf was running his feet off in the frontmost, shouting orders alongside Thorins'.

They heard couple more howls and Fai turned to Fili. "You will regret your decision when I'm thorn apart by some warg." Fili didn't gave her a reassuring look which made her felt like she _really was right. _

"What decision?" shouted Kili with frustration, and whatever it was, he didn't felt like he'd be OK with it. His question left unanswered as they kept running. _Well you wanted this, _thought Fai.

For a little moment Radagast appeared between two hills, with a Warg pack following him behind. Fai thought she saw Orcs on some of their tops. Gandalf led them behind a huge pile of rocks and they all hid there. All silent, but short on breath. She saw Thorin's eyes went wide as they heard something approaching them from the top. None of them dared to breathe.

Kili slowly moved and readied her bow. He was waiting for Thorin's mark. Fai bit her lower lip so hard that it literally started to bleed. Fili clenched his fists as he didn't broke his gaze even for a second. The beast growled louder, as they heard its rider's excessive sniffing.

Then, Thorin nodded.

It was all by leaps and bounds. Kili darted forward and shot an arrow. They all knew he reached the target when the beast yelped wailfully and tumbled down, making the rider on it snarl. He immediately turned against the company but Dwalin chopped his head off with his axe. The Orc's dying cry drew attention of the other Orcs chasing Radagast, and in no time the company became the new target.

They were on the run again but not as a pack this time. It was Thorin's direction that got blocked first, then Balin's voice heard from the side, shouting them not to run that way. Fili, Kili and Fai were headed to another direction, and they got stonewalled by an Orc jumped on their way.

Fai couldn't hear anything but the growling of the Wargs and some phrases in Black Speech that probably has something to do with beheading or drinking their blood. It was the first time she sees an Orc from this close. It felt like she was rooted to her spot, couldn't move, couldn't do anything but to look at this foul creature. Its face was covered in a raft of cuts and open wounds. And its tooth were crooked beyond belief. Standing still, Fai felt someone's hand taking a firm grip on her waist and pulling her closer. She knew it was Kili when the feathered end of an arrow in his hand touched her arm. It wasn't the right time to resist, so she didn't.

Fili threw a knife and it hit the Orc right in his neck. He spat some shit in Black Speech once more before collapsing. Fili went to pick up his knife back and using this minute on their advance, Kili hold her from both of her arms and turned her towards himself.

"You doin' okay there?"

Fai looked him in the eye and nodded in response. She was breathless, then again it was hard to remember the last time she breathed normally. First the Trolls, then the Wargs, and know, Orcs. Kili's eyes narrowed as he saw the blood on her lips. He furrowed his brows. His grip on her left arm got tighter, while he placed his hand on her cheek and wiped the blood off of her lower lip with _his thumb. _He wasn't intending to, it wasn't a conscious gesture. And it only lasted a second, after coming to his senses he quickly pulled away.

"What happened there? I didn't see you got hit?"

"It happened when y-" She couldn't believe in her own indiscretion. There was no way she was going to tell him _when _and _why _it happened. Her gaze turned into a glare, then she stated harshly. "It's none of your business. I thought you weren't talking to me anyways."

Unfortunately there was no time for him to answer as they heard others' outcries. Fili ran towards them as Fai drew her daggers out again, and the three of them headed towards the voices. Kili's arms were no longer wrapped around her as he drew an arrow from the quiver and equipped his bow.

But when they approached, there were only couple of dwarves left. Got muddled by what they see, they didn't know what to do for a moment. Then they understood. Gandalf and Thorin were standing in front of what seemed like a rock, leading everyone into a hidden hole beneath. Fili started moving again and then they followed him. Kili was falling behind, as he took care of the Orcs appearing here and there. It was all proceeding at full speed.

Fili ran even faster in order to vanquish a beast tagging Thorin behind. He reached just in time and thrusted his sword into Warg's mouth. Blond headed prince then disappeared behind Thorin, apparently he thought his brother and Fai were following him closely.

He couldn't be more wrong.

Fai stopped in the middle when she felt Kili could no longer considered as near. A hundred meters away, there was Thorin, insanely waving his hands in their direction. Then she turned back to see Kili reaching for the last arrow in his quiver. She wondered if he was aware of that.

"Kili!" screamed Thorin, his voice echoed at least ten times. With his full power, he was grappling with Fili, who happened to realize their absence and struggling to free himself and help them.

Kili took the Orc down with his last arrow and it fell down from his Warg.

Fai was blind to the fact that she was sprinting towards him. The wind roared in her ears, it could be Thorin's voice as well. And when she realized she was _running, _she freaked out. When she saw the Warg knocking Kili down, she freaked out even more. She let out a loud, long scream of despair. It was meaningless really, nothing made sense in that moment.

_She was a screaming tiny little girl running fast with daggers in her hands._

Kili was kicking the beast in the face and trying to reach for the sword suspended to his back.

_She was a tiny little girl who just jumped on a Warg's back._

"ARE YOU MENTAL?!" This time it was Kili's turn to scream. He reached for his sword again but couldn't draw it because of all the Warg's weight upon him.

_She was a tiny little girl who just stabbed the living daylights out of a Warg._

The creature was jerking in pain and a second later, Fai got spilled by it and hit the ground. Kili quickly got back on his feet and successfully drew his sword. He darted forward and cut its head off for dear life.

There was no time to pause, he turned to Fai who just lifted herself up. They held hands and headed towards the hole.

"Wait, I've got to get my dagger back!" the girl said and immediately went into shock from what she just said.

"_YOUR_ DAGGER? YOU COULDN'T EVEN WALK THE DAY BEFORE AND NOW YOU'RE EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED WITH _YOUR _WEAPON?!"

_Enough with the damn walking. _She struck out towards the monster anyway, and used all of her force to remove the dagger from its head. When it finally got free, she found herself falling backwards from all the built up energy.

Kili, once again, cursed in some ancient languages and reached for her as she landed in his arms. He quickly raised her and there they were, running for real this time, towards a furious yet somehow relieved Thorin.

"Get in here you bloody fools!" he roared, as they both slid from the sloped surface and fell into the hole. They landed on top of each other, however quickly pulled away and got back onto their feet in a _nanosecond. _Kili studied her with his eyes from head to toe, it was clear that he was searching for possible wounds and scars.

"Do you feel okay?" he asked. "Did you get hurt?" His question made Fai realized that she might be. All the adrenaline rush prevented her from feeling any pain, but now that it is partially faded, she could think about the scars now. To her surprise, there wasn't anything major. Couple of little cuts only. But she was shaking to the core. She wanted to postpone her breakdown as much a possible. _I stabbed a damn Warg, _she thought. _It didn't die, but still, I stabbed it. _

"No, nothing too important." Fai answered with a half smile on her lips. She hid her shaking hands behind her and clasped them. Kili looked relieved at first, but suddenly his temper took a dramatical turn and he clenched his fists again.

"Good," the dark haired prince said. His voice sounded surprisingly calm.

"Because I'm not talking to you for a hundred years."

* * *

**Ending Note: I have to take Fili's side on this one, Fai and Kili really are hilarious when they fight. :D**

**reviews are always welcomed! :3**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello there! Some explaining must be done. First of all, I was going by the movies mostly, changing nothing major or leaving hardly anything out, till this very chapter. I always like the book version of Rivendell more, where the company found peace for a short amount of time, where everyone became happy, even Thorin could be considered so. They've seen hospitality from the Elves, and nothing more. To make my point, I'll quote our beloved and wonderful Mister Tolkien himself.**

_"I wish I had time to tell you even a few of the tales or one or two of the songs that they heard in that house. All of them, the ponies as well, grew refreshed and strong in a few days there. Their clothes were mended as well as their bruises, their tempers, and their hopes. Their bags were filled with food and provisions light to carry but strong to bring them over the mountain passes. Their plans were improved with the best advice. So the time came to midsummer eve, and they were to go on again with the early sun on midsummer morning." (The Hobbit / Chapter 3: A Short Rest, pg 71)_

** The movie version didn't feel like this. It wasn't warm or welcoming, it only felt like tolerating.**** I will go by the book and do my best to reflect their splendid stay there and I won't call the White Council on them. It is also for the sake of my story arc. Hope you like it as much as I do. (ps: The book decision is only valid for the Elven chapters. I'll go back to the movies but you know my style so far, I might've make a mix of the book and the movies. And you'll never know what else I might do. ;) )**

**And now the thank you part: **

_Lisse Mirelien, BarbieBlue, Arocksprpl2, BIRDY21, DwarvenWarrior, . _**thank you all so much for your reviews. And as a respond to Lisse Mirelien, I think I gave you what you want!**

**ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR JOHN RONALD REUEL TOLKIEN! :3**

**Here is a long one to enjoy, for I might not be able to update as quick as I was. Finals week baby, finals week.. ._.**

* * *

Fai was speechless. He dared to pull his bullshit on her _twice _in the same day. As Kili turned his back against her and made his way into the depths of the cave, she felt her hands shaking even more. Thorin as well passed her by without a word, but there was a slight change in his glance. It felt as if she was barely less of a burden. Just a little less though, no need to celebrate. When Dwalin and Nori followed them into the cave, she tried to remember the book and the movie, to know what was going to happen next. Failed, her mind entangled in her anxiety.

_"What the hell?!" _Fai suddenly bellowed, however muted by a mouthful of fur. Her face was buried in some sort of furry collar and she startled even more after feeling a hand softly nestling on her hair. In the meantime, another hand was wrapped around her, pulling her closer to that mysterious someone, and his furry vest.

"You have my sword now, forever."

Then she knew it was Fili. He never sounded like that before. His voice was boiling with gratitude and astonishment. She didn't know what to do but to hold back a gasp, for he was holding her _that _tight.

"My warhammer, my axe and all my knives as well, for what it's worth." added Fili, loosen his grasp on her a bit. "You saved my brother, and I will never forget that. You put your own life on the line and helped him, without even knowing how to use a knife properly. "

Fai really felt like she had to say something. But feared she might start to cry. The intensity of his hug amended her breakdown to an earlier time. It was all too much. Seeing an Orc for the first time, running for the sake of her life, coming within a whisker of a Warg, it all felt too much. And then there was the worry she felt for the others. No one was in her sight for more than 30 seconds, and all that time she thought that some of them could really die, even though she _knew _it was impossible. The other thing was.. how she felt when she saw Kili lying under that beast, unable to reach for his sword.. It was like having all her blood frozen in her veins. It was indescribable and painful, but remembering his recent nonsense, she decided not to think about that infuriating dwarf anymore.

"I did what has to be done." Fai said, trying her best to keep her voice from trilling. "And, like you always say, it was pure instinct. I wasn't thinking."

_You imbecile, it's not the time for crying, _she said, mentally kicking herself for the tears forming on the corners of her eyes. In order to hide them she turned her face sideways and the minute she did, she accidentally held Bofur's gaze. The dwarf immediately noticed her eyes brimming with tears.

"Go after yer brother, lad. He seemed edgy." he came to rescue. Fili thoughtfully nodded and hugged Fai for the last time. A brief, yet strong and brotherly hug that made her feel safe. She thought how lucky Kili was, to have him as his brother. Fai never had any siblings, no one to look after her. It was the first time she ever experienced that kind of feeling, which made it all bittersweet.

Bofur gestured towards the depths of the cave, and had Fili walking through the narrow path in seconds. It was only him and Fai that left, the others might've followed their King while they hug.

"Yer alrigh' lass?" Bofur asked trying to sound casual. It was highly kind of him really, as Fai didn't want to make a scene of her tears. She was right about Bofur's eyes before; they were making him look like he was smiling, even at the times he doesn't. And looking at them made her heart warm up again, so she smiled.

"Yes, my dear Bofur. I'm fine. All those adventure overwhelmed me for a minute back there."

Bofur patted her shoulder like a proud father. "Yer more than fine love, ye poniarded them Warg right in the neck!"

"You've seen me yesterday," said Fai with a grin on her lips. "I'm full of tricks."

Bofur raised a laugh in response. It was amazing, how Bofur lifted her spirit. Couple minutes ago, she was still feeling the matted hair in her hands. The hair she tugged with all her power in order to climb on top of the Warg. She was still hearing how its spine cracked when she thrusted her daggers. Luckily, it all faded away. She had her marbles all together again, and it was time to follow the company.

After a little while they caught up with the group. The cave was not a cave anymore, they were walking on a path that happened to be a rift on a mountain. A crack, really. The path was extremely narrow. So narrow in fact, that Bombur got stuck in between the rocks every now and then, and needed a good, firm push to free himself. Fai felt grateful for not being the one who walked behind him, for the biggest push she could ever gave would only stir him lightly. They were doing their best to get out of that damn road as quick as possible.

She could see the daylight in the form of a bright crack, when she looked up. And it was the only thing that kept her going. She always hated these kind of situations where she felt like she couldn't breathe. It wasn't exactly claustrophobia but it was something quite similar.

Then Fai began to hear _the noise. _That soothing, vibrant noise that overspread through the narrow path. They kept walking, and minutes later when the mountain finally gave way and the company found themselves standing on a balcony of rocks, she understood. It was the voice of hurrying water in a rocky bed at the bottom. There stood _The Last Homely House_, enclosed with countless waterfalls and cascades. It looked so sublime that each and every one of them felt so insignificant against it. Even the air was different there, it was warmer and lighter. It had a _taste _and it tasted really good, sweet, yet not in an overwhelming way. The relaxing smell of the pine trees filled their noses and made them a tad dizzy. _  
_

"The land of the Elves. You tricked us, Gandalf!" snarled Thorin. But it was only him who had an objection and despite this, his voice sounded not strong enough. He too, was fascinated.

"We are expected," said Gandalf, "This ahead of us is Rivendell, where Elrond lives. He is an honorable Elf Lord, as wise as a wizard and as kind as summer. You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield." He looked into his eyes persuasively. "You need food and rest, your clothes is to be mended and tended to be, your wounds."

The word _food _heated up the dwarves, notably Bombur and surprisingly Bifur. Ill-at-ease, Thorin, only bowed his head in the meaning of consent and they begin the walk again, this time on a wider and more comfortable path. They were going down to the valley, walking among the trees.

Bilbo was missing his footing occasionally, mesmerized by the beauty of Imladris by a long chalk. He couldn't break his gaze even for a second, walked, his jaw dropped, and his eyes brighter than ever. "Elves.." he mumbled, in pure admiration. Gandalf walked beside Bilbo and kept him from falling down, each time he stumbled. The wizard was delighted by his adoration. For a good change, most of them felt in peace.

_O! Where are you going  
With beard all a-wagging?  
No knowing, no knowing  
What brings Mr Baggins,  
And Balin and Dwalin  
Down into the valley?_

Couple of Elves, hidden inside the forest were stalking them, singing songs and laughing among themselves. Their voices followed the company as they kept walking, but they couldn't see any of the Elves. Bilbo laughed in awe when his name is mentioned, while Balin only smiled and Dwalin looked around for the owners of the voice, with a distrustful expression on his face. Thorin snorted condescendingly, thinking that the song was stupid.

A few more miles and lots of songs later, the road came to an end. As they stand on the entrance of the Valley, Elrond came to greet them.

"A little out of your way you are, quite a company! Welcome, to the Last Homely House East of The Sea."

* * *

It was _amazing _to be clean again. To not have tangled hair and wear clothes that hardened with Troll slime. When the Elves offered them clean clothes and a bath, Fai jumped on the opportunity right in that second. She took her time to let the fascinating scent of water sink in. _Mahal knows when will I bathe again, _she thought, and smiled at the phrase her inner voice chose.

After becoming squeaky clean, she finished her bath unwillingly. She smelt of daffodils and blackcurrant, and the clothes they gave her was plain enough as she has requested, yet, elegant. It was a cloaked dress in the color of blue smoke. It reminded her the blue of Kili's hood and she tried to shoo his image out of her head.

It's been an hour since Fai remembered his touch on her lips. The worry in his eyes, and his reckless touch.. _He didn't mean anything by it, _she thought. _He wasn't even thinking. _It was frustrating to think about him when all he did was to kick up a row on her. _Twice. _Not talking to her in a hundred years? So be it.

In another room, not very far from Fai's, there stood two dwarves. Sitting in their clean clothes in a room filled with sunlight. The blond one was fixing the braids on his braid, while the fair headed one just sat on the sofa with his hands united on the back of his head. He was studying the ceiling with pensive eyes. Fili decided it was time to say something, since they finally had a private moment to themselves.

"She cried you know. Fai. She cried when I hugged her."

Kili wasn't expecting it, any of it actually. "She _wha_- you _hugged_ her? When? Why?" His eyes were double the size, and his voice went off its tone in stun.

"Easy there you little idiot, no need to go mental. I only hugged her to _thank her _for saving your ass_, _and nothing more_._" Fili didn't bother to hold his laughter back. The hinting grin on his lips made Kili even angrier.

"_Not that I care! _I just- I was just- Will you stop grinning for a second? You're so annoying!" blabbered Kili. He was furious with his tactless of a brother. That little-

He blushed so outrageously that his head almost started to radiate. He _knew _she saved him and that wasn't the deal. He wasn't taking it as a matter of pride or anything. It was just, Kili couldn't get that specific moment out of his head. The moment he saw her climbing on that damn Warg. He was positive that she was going to die. How idiotic was that really, to went behind a Warg's back when you don't even know how to use a knife, more importantly, when you are quarter the size of it.

Then he had seen her floating in the air and landing on the rock hard ground. The Warg had turned to her with savagery. Kili couldn't even remember the moment he took out his sword and kill that bloody beast before it took Fai down. Remembering it made him all angry again.

"Please don't make me talk about it. Don't push it. Every time I remember her running towards me, screaming, I lose it again. And I don't even know why I get so steamed up about it. Promise you Fili, this is no pride. She really saved me and I owe her." He sounded so desperate that Fili couldn't bear to went hard on his brother again. He just smiled at his brother and nodded in understanding.

"Alright, drop it. I'm famished you know, let's find Bombur. He's always where the food is."

* * *

Fai was lying on her bed when she heard someone knocking on the door. Was is dinner time already? She wanted to rest, more than she wanted food. It was the first decent bed she lied on since the beginning of their journey, which felt like it's been ages. However, it's not been even a week.

"Come in?" she inquired, thinking it might be a couple of Elves making sure if she was comfortable enough. It was Gandalf, nonetheless. She noticed that he seemed shorter when the room was high-ceiled. She straightened her back and sat on the bed.

"It's the first time you are clean since our path's first crossed." laughed the Wizard, making Fai laugh as well. It all felt surreal, being in Rivendell, wearing Elven clothes and joking with Gandalf on a sunny day. Felt like they've paused the game for a while, and started to play a bonus chapter on easy mode.

"Yeah," she said, "you have basically scooped me out of mud that night."

Gandalf didn't respond. Instead, he walked over the wide window ledge and sat quietly. Leaned his staff against the wall, and looked Fai in the eye, more seriously this time.

"I have a question for you, Lady Fai."

She didn't have any idea. Tensed up with anticipation, she nodded.

"When you saved Kili, earlier today. Did you-"

_So that was it. _She was relieved for having a proper explanation so she cut him right off.

"I only fix what _I _broke Gandalf, I swear on my life. Some things are not proceeding by the book, he shouldn't be left behind without an arrow. He was supposed to made his way in time. He didn't, so I made him.. You were right about me, my presence changes the course of things, without even doing anything."

The Wizard studied her in silence. He wasn't wearing his hat so the strands of his hair were colored in sunset. He looked.. _Tired. _It was rare for a grey wizard to encounter such thing that is _this _beyond his knowledge. And Fai thought she saw another thing in his eyes. Compassion. Oh, was she right. Gandalf was understanding her situation for the first time. She was more vulnerable than Bilbo, she wasn't a Hobbit. She wasn't belong to Arda, although she knew everything about it. He doubted if it was a privilege. _It must be more of a burden_, Gandalf thought to himself. This young woman in front of him was wiser than him in some ways, yet, she was too young to bear such responsibility.

"Alright, alright." said the Wizard. "I'll take your word for it. Now, there is something else.." he looked even more troubled and it made Fai angry for some reason. _What the fuck now, _she swore in her head. _Don't give me that look. _And then the frustrating truth dawned on her, it was so Kili of her. To lose temper, just like that. Or it was so _Fai of him _to lose his shit, she didn't know. One thing was certain, they were annoyingly alike, when it comes to anger. Nevertheless, she did her best to hide the frustration and remain silent.

"I'm thinking on bringing this matter up to Lord Elrond."

She didn't like that. Even though Elrond didn't seem like the other Elves she's been reading about, she still didn't want her fate to be in Elven hands. She shook her head no and was ready to argue about it.

"No. It doesn't make sense Gandalf. You were in existence long before him. You've seen all of it, shaping of Arda, Years of The Lamps, Years of The Trees and Years of The Sun.. Lord Elrond was born in the First Age, and not even in the beginning of it, if I remember correctly. You are wiser, Gandalf. I don't trust his opinion."

A little girl, who has knowledge on the Wizard's existence. He was agemates with Arda, and still there were things that could surprise him. He sent Fai a little smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"I've _seen it all_, and that is the reason why Elrond is more sane than I am."

Fai remained silent for Gandalf had a point. She imagined living that long, being immortal.. She'd go in a mad frenzy! Now it was clear why Gandalf was temperamental and always a law unto himself. It had to be pretty hard. Evicted from her thoughts, she chuckled at what Gandalf just said;

"And since when you are Thorin's long lost daughter to have mistrust against the Elvenkind?"

It was Fai's turn to shrug this time.

* * *

An hour after the sun set, all the dwarves, and Bilbo, were gathered around the dinner table made of stone. They were looking at their plates in desperation, not knowing what to do with the food that was unrecognizable to them. Bilbo sighed with hesitation, he was about to take a bite from the fruit that looked like pear.

Bombur on the other hand, jumped right in after a moment of hesitation. Filling his mouth in just a second, his eyes widened with amazement. "Ad if hi'm drinkin' waa-tuh" he sang out with joy.

"Pardon me?" asked Bilbo, looking around for somebody who understood what he said. Bofur, to his right, cracked into a laughter.

"He says as if he's drinking water.", he translated.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Bilbo inquired again, with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Damned if I know." laughed away Bofur, and went back to the staring contest between him and his plate.

But seconds later, Bilbo _knew _what Bombur meant. When he finally took that bite from the pear-y fruit, he understood. It was so soft that eating it couldn't exactly be called as "biting". And it literally _melted _to the most delicious juice in his mouth, leaving an incredible flavour on his tongue. When he eagerly took another bite, his stomach could shed tears of joy.

The dwarves gave up one by one, and surprised by the taste of food as well. They weren't looking as happy as Bilbo and Bombur, but they instantly felt better to the pleasant surprise. Nori seemed to like the pink, fleshy fruit the most. It was more fibrous and even though its taste got nothing to do with it, chewing on it felt like meat.

Even Gandalf joined them after a while, took his place between Thorin and Elrond. Elves were all around them, moving as if they were floating couple of inches above the ground. Bringing armloads of fruits and cakes to the table constantly. Elrond looked one of them and pleased.

_"Nartho i noer, toltho i viruvor. Boe i annam vann a nethail vin."_

Dwarves exchanged glances in curiosity. Less than a minute later, Elves reappeared with carafes in their hands. They were filled with a clear, honey-colored liquid. After they had their places on the table, Elrond kindly spoke.

"Here brought to you Miruvor, the drink of revival. It would speed up the healing of your wounds, as well as it would heal you on the inside."

So they drank. An immediate warmness took over, as if the drink mixed with their blood in a second. It was sweet, as much as it was strong. Easy to swallow, yet took its time on their throats while going down. Every one of them felt calmer, besides one uneasy, fair headed dwarf.

"Where is she?" he grumbled. "I thought he was with Gandalf. Is she hurt? I never took a full look at her after- you know."

"After ye snapped at the lassie." Bofur interrupted. Kili had no idea how he heard him, and he felt his cheeks blushing _again. _Too much blushing for just one day.

Bofur's voice was not accusing, he seemed to amused by the laddie's worry about her, even. "She's not hert. I've check her by meself."

Kili bowed her head back to his plate again, without saying anything. His heart was eaten by the worry every second, and part of him thought that her absence was his own fault. He wanted her to join them, eat something, and drink from that liquid that was supposed to make her feel better. So he refused to eat as well, putting down the cake in his hand. Instead, he decided to drink.

"Sorry for joining you this late."

A second after her apology, Fai heard _someone _choking on his drink. None of them noticed her before she spoke, because of all the Elves bustling around with food and drink in their arms. That, and she was wearing an Elven dress. She looked radiant in it. Her dark, yet vibrant golden hair dangling down her shoulders, while her grey eyes shone brighter because of the color of the dress. She was addressing Lord Elrond when she spoke, with a kind expression on her face. "The room you assigned me had me tranquilized. I can't wait for the night to sleep again."

Elrond bowed his head in joy. "I'm glad we made you feel comfortable, my lady. Have a seat, food and drink will be served to you in no time.

Fai didn't heard, but Kili was mouthing Fili to make him call Fai over, elbowing him even, accompanied by some sort of mimics that made him look like he was deranged. The moment she faced the table, it all stopped and she heard Fili calling for her, with a hidden grin on his face.

"Fai, come sit against me or you'll starve. Bombur's eating for 5 over there."

She chuckled and seated herself against _them. _Trying her best to not look at Kili. It couldn't be more awkward.

"So it is nice seeing each other clean, innit?"

Apparently, being clean was the topic of the day. Back on Earth, she remembered the hot summer days where she showered twice a day. _Back on earth, it was ages ago. _She nodded with a smile on her face, she wasn't in the mood to talk about personal hygiene anymore. Instead, she took a bite from a cake she's been handed by some Elf, and instantly mesmerized.

"Damn this is amazing!" she _Bombured. _The ones who heard, and saw her grumbling something unclear with her cake-filled mouth, bursted into laughter. She secretly eyed Kili for a second, he was laughing up his sleeve as well. It's been a while since she saw his laughing. Although he's not laughing with her but _at her, _so be it. She was also cracking up anyways.

Fai ate and engaged in couple of small talks. Not a single word exchanged between her and Kili tho.. After a while, some of the dwarves left for the comfortable sofas behind, and some of them joined Elrond and Gandalf, who were telling the tales of old times. Gandalf was looking remarkably jolly, and _Feywine_ was to be suspected. Feywine, the drink of Elves. Even a drop of it could keep Men, Hobbits and Dwarves captive in its hazy magic for _months. _No wonder why none has been offered to them.

When Fai heard a low, hesitant voice right beside her she accidentally bit her tongue. _When the hell did you sit beside me?_

"You haven't drank a single drop of this. Elrond said it has healing properties. Please, have some." It was Kili and he was looking as if he could run away any second, depending on her reaction. It was clear that he was waiting for some kind of a backlash from her. When finished his sentence, he quietly poured some Miruvor for her.

Her heart melted. He has paused being a lunatic for a while just to talk to her, to make sure she is going to be fine. She felt her cheeks burning and violently swore in her head. It was so sweet, so caring of him. She took the glass from his hands, trying not to touch his fingers. Lifted her head and held his gaze. She didn't realize how close they were sitting. Finally, achieved to open her mouth to thank him.

"_You _should drink some, not _me_. Maybe it would turn you into a sane person!"

It felt like someone else was talking, not her. She listened to the words she spoke as they escaped her mouth, leaving her utterly, completely mortified. Fai had no idea that she was still angry with him. _What the fuck, why did I- how did I- How can you not now whether you're still angry at someone you bonehead, you-_

And all she could do was to quickly got up and leave the table, taking the glass of Miruvor with her. It all happened so quickly that one could thought she vaporized.

Kili watched her as she left, totally dumbfounded. He couldn't even move, and couple minutes later he was starting to look like a marble sculpture of himself.

* * *

**Ending Note: hahhajsdgahi i just can't.**

**Seriously tho, I'd like to know your opinions on my "Elf decision." What do you think about it?**

**also i'm going to end the disclaimer here: I only own my poor Fai girl, and nothing more. All hail to the King Tolkien, and PJ.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: It's been a while my lovely readers, and it was filled with finals, coffee and text books. It was a crrrazzy week and now I'm waiting for my grades. This chapter is another slow one, before all hell breaks loose again! You'd remember my intention to take my time writing Rivendell, so I did. Also, I'm a weary warrior and I needed to rest after all the exams. Hope you enjoy! I'd like to know your opinions, reviews are always welcome!**

_Miriel Tolkien & the Oz Meister and Jen Baas; thank you for your looovely comments! :3_

**_Here, have fun!_**

* * *

The room was wrapped up in complete silence, apart from the splashing cascades outside. Everything was dyed in various tones of blue as the moonlight reflect on them. Every once in a while a woodnote or an Elven song reached in to her ears very hoarsely. Their songs were different from any songs Fai has ever heard before, and despite their beauty she suddenly felt blue out of nowhere. It was the first time she missed something about Earth. Back there she were basically attached to her headphones, and there wasn't a time where she didn't sing along.

At some point, being constantly on the run had taken away all her frustration, and there was literally no time to stop and think about all those things have happened to her. Now that all came to a temporary stop, she felt more defenseless and lost than ever. Although she missed her songs back on Earth, there wasn't a single soul that misses her back. Couple of so-called-friends from college might've noticed her absence but she didn't think that it would alarm anyone, for she was very fond of her solitude and liked to disappear without a notice every now and then.

As concerns the family, well, too bad that she didn't have one.

Fai never knew her mother and his father-

That was a long story, but thinking about him made her sigh in the dark.

She decided to focus on the present, as thinking about Earth was making everything seem unreal. As if she wasn't even sitting in a room in Rivendell. Thinking about it was distracting her, and she needed to concentrate on the journey with all she's got, for there wouldn't be a next time with a creature where she gets away that easy.

Fai _really _needed some training, and had her own reasons to not just go and ask Kili for it. Kili. It hadn't been even an hour since she freaked out on him and locked herself in her room instantly. Snapping at him wasn't the deal exactly, it was the way she did it. Looking into his eyes, with a curve on her lips that could easily be taken as a smile. It was a fragile moment and she smashed it with a baseball bat, without a warning.

"We are useless." she groused and tumbled onto her bed.

* * *

"What in Durin's name is wrong with her?!" squealed Kili, accompanied by a huge amount of frustration. He was the only one left sitting by the dinner table, or he thought he was, until hearing a voice answering him.

"Excuse me, sorry, but she is kind of right, you know."

Kili startled at the sudden voice and turned to its owner. It was Ori, sitting crosswise him. He was leaned on his journal, seemingly drawing or writing something. From the moment they came to Rivendell, he'd been always busy with his journal. Who could blame him though, in Elvenland everything was worth to document. He wasn't even looking at Kili while talking. The brown headed dwarf fretted, spreading his arms like he wanted to defend himself.

"Ah _come on _Ori! I was being friendly, I even offered her some of that Elf drink you know!"

"Yes, but didn't she try to save you?" said Ori in response. His voice was so calm as if he was talking about something ordinary. "Twice, actually? None of us heard you thanking."

Kili felt his anger blossoming inside. "She was just being mental! I can't _thank her _for trying to kill herself. Bloody ashes, Ori, I won't encourage her! She jumped on a damn Warg."

"Still.." Ori murmured harmlessly, loosing rest of the words in his mouth, for he was drawing a very important detail of some sketch.

Kili shook his head in disbelieve. _As if you all swore an oath on driving me nuts. _He sat there quietly, detached from everything and everyone. It was until he heard someone mentioning _her_ name. He caught her name only and couldn't hear the specifics for rest of the words were in another language. When he turned his head in their direction, he saw Gandalf and Elrond exchanging glances. And not so long after that, Elrond nodded and they both stood up, looking as tall as two cypress trees.

Kili tried not to pay attention to their up-to-something attitude, until that certain name came up _again. _

"That's it." he gave up, impatiently slapping his knees. It wasn't even a second yet, but when Kili turned around to check on them once more, they were long gone.

* * *

When she heard the knocks, Fai knew it wasn't good. She decided pretending to sleep was the best idea ever, so she tried to got under the covers ever so quietly. Three more knocks later, she heard the Wizard's mocking voice.

"Dear lady of mine, we are aware that you are not sleeping. At least give us that much credit."

A light chuckle she suspected of belonging to Elrond kept his words company.

_So now there is two of you, terrific. _

"Would you be so kind to come outside, child?"

Almost 20 years old, being characterized as a child felt kind of weird. But considering Gandalf was _Arda years old _it was only natural. Fai huffed and got away from the bed. After draping the cloak over her shoulders, she opened the door for them. Elrond gestured towards outside, without a word. She was in no place to protest, so they began walking down the corridors illuminated with moonlight.

They brought her to the stone porch with the holey dome on it. It was the place where Galadriel and Saruman interrogated Gandalf in the movie. _Could it really be?_

To her surprise, there was no one else beside them. Fai hesitantly took her place by the table, trying not to think in a hundred miles per second.

"My curiosity is branching out on you more and more every minute, _arimelda_*****." Elrond was eyeing her with statuesque. And Fai couldn't decide how to explain. He didn't see her falling from trees and Fai haven't spent hours running with him, so they were quite formal yet. He had an air of kindness though, and it helped a lot.

"I thought Gandalf would've given you the specifics by now.." she gave him a half-smile. "The thing is.. I'm from another land. I wasn't born in Arda. And I have my reasons to think that I am also not from Eä."

Elrond arched his eyebrows. He didn't look terrified or surprised, only confused. "And from where you are happened to be?"

"From Earth. I know you sometimes call here Earth, but mine is different.. It wasn't created with a song really, even though that would be pretty cool.. It came into existence with an explosion, for I believe. There aren't any Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits or -_thankfully- _Orcs there. Only us."

Elrond was all ears, he didn't move except shooting glances in Gandalf's direction every once in a while, and he definitely remain silent.

"There lived a man, or rather, a writer, named Tolkien. He wrote about you, for his entire life.. And this is where it gets interesting. He wrote it all from the Ainulindalë till the very Fourth Age, for I know. His books were pretty popular back there, I grew up reading your stories."

Elrond's eyes changed their color, but she was happy he didn't share the same interest with Gandalf; getting ridiculously tall on unexpected times. He didn't have a single wrinkle, which was making him look like a statue under the moonlight. It was the first time Fai sensed a bit of emotion in his voice other than kindness.

"How did you get here?"_  
_

Fai saw Gandalf kindle his pipe with his fingertip, and he was looking troubled, like he mostly did since her arrival. She remained quiet for a while, looking just as troubled as the wizard. She was familiar to how ridiculous her story must be sounding. How could you explain such thing? All the words felt wrong and Fai wished for another way to explain herself successfully. She looked Elrond in the eye with utter desperation.

"I don't know, okay? All I know is that I woke up one night on the cold wet dirt and seconds later, Gandalf was to run me over with Shadowfax. Then I woke up again, only to came upon thirteen dwarves and a hobbit I've been reading about my entire life. I'm not an Elf, and definitely not a Wizard as well so_ you should be the ones to do the explaining here, _alright?"

Fai blurted out the words ceaselessly and by the end of it, she heard her voice trilling out of despair and a bit of anger. Blinked once or twice to get rid of the tears that was blurring her vision, and fired them glares both.

"_Arwen en amin_****_,_ **calm yourself," bespoke Elrond, in a really soothing tone. Fai didn't know what the first three words meant but felt a tad better. "I just wanted to be sure of what I've foreseen."

"So, you _know _what all these mean?" Fai asked in great confusion.

"No I don't, actually.. I just had a vision, some time ago from your arrival. I saw a girl with Mithrandir, talking about the things you just told me. I did not know what to make of it, and I hadn't seen your face. I just knew you'd come, before you actually did."

So popped her small bubble of hope and her eyes went back to their vacant, desperate state. She knew there was no use in telling him, for there is no possible explanation to why and how she came. After sitting quietly for a while, Fai finally gathered all the courage and turned her head in Gandalf's direction.

"If we cut to the chase.. What would become of me?"

That was when the wizard sighed in distress. Fai saw his eyes getting darker as he tried to bring himself to say those words out loud.

"Even though I enjoy your company and you've been the biggest riddle for me since the moment we met, I think, child, you are posing a danger for Middle-Earth. Your actions change things, and you know too much for your own good... You should not be wandering in the wild."

_Why thank you, _thought Fai, her inner voice was coated with sass that night. Even though she knew the wizard was right, it didn't make her feel any better. For she didn't choose any of it and everything was happening out of her control.

"Mithrandir."

Elrond's voice was kind as always, but Fai sensed something different. Something that disagrees.

"You do not know that. What if she _is _a part of all these? What if those _changes, _as you call them, are not changes but the continuum itself? For whatever reason, she is here now, and I don't think interfering would be wise. Let her make her own choices."

Suddenly Fai felt extremely guilty and incredibly ashamed for doubting Elrond. In the end, he sounded more reasonable than Gandalf did.

"All I can say to you child, is that you are very welcomed here if you will. This would indeed be the safest place for you, their journey don't have to be yours. _You are not bound to loss and silence, for you are not bound to the circles of this world.*******_"

Gandalf seemed very fond of Elrond's idea of her staying in Imladris. "You can choose to stay. You can live here, accompanied by lovely Elves, good music and delicious food. You really would be safer, my lady."

At that moment, five feet away and hidden behind a tree, a dwarf held back a really strong gasp.

* * *

It was the dead of night, yet Fai was wide awake. After dreaming of the fluffy bed all day, being wide awake as an owl was driving her insane. How could she sleep though, with such crucial decision to make. The wine she asked for was keeping her company and she was sitting on the window ledge. It was comfortably wide, and granted a really nice view. Her arms were wrapped around her bent knees, and her head was resting on them.

Leaving or staying, Fai would laugh until she died if this question was asked while she was still on Earth. When she was going nuts about fan fictions. When she couldn't even recognize how dangerous Middle-Earth really is. Reading about it was one thing, while facing it every second was completely another. Exhausted with worry, Fai took a sip from her wine and thought about all the other dangers to encounter. Since she was causing changes unwittingly, there also could be new events to face she didn't know about.

While in deepest of her thoughts, a whisper heard from the other side of her door. Far from where she sat, still, pretty audible.

"Are you in there?"

It was hard to distinguish it from the voices she knew, since it was only a whisper. But she had a pretty strong idea that made her tremble in panic. Who else would creep up on her door on such late hour? She decided to remain silent but this damn trick wasn't working on anyone today.

"Come on, Fai, I need to talk to you."

_Fuck. _

Fai stood up and abandoned her wine glass unwillingly. The mysterious whisperer got quiet, as he heard noises coming from the other side of the door. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath before reaching out the doorknob and face the not-at-all-stranger-

Kili.

"What are you doing here?" she asked timidly, far from her scolding tone early in the afternoon. The dramatic exit she made was still haunting her thoughts very intensely. Facing him was the last thing she wanted, she'd even stay locked in her room forever, if it would save her from one more weird encounter between them.

"Can I?" Kili whispered, looking just as nervous. Then Fai let him in, mostly to avoid being seen by someone. She also tried to avoid her hands slightly shaking when closing the door behind them.

"Alright, please don't snap at me okay? And I promise to keep a lid on my temper as well. I really need to talk to you." begged Kili. Fai was really nervous for the thousandth time that day, and wasn't really delighted by her popularity. She led him by the window but they didn't sit on the ledge like she did before. They were standing in front of it and facing each other from an acceptable distance.

"I heard you, Elrond and Gandalf talking abo-"

"You _what?!_"

"_Fai_, I said no snapping.."

The way he uttered her name made something tingle on her neck.

"In fact.. You are not allowed to speak till I'm finished. I really need to get this out of my system and I can't do it if you keep interrupting me. Okay?"

She nodded, shying away from his gaze. Since when it was hard to be around him again, she couldn't recall. And it was different this time, for they've never been _alone _alone before. They were the only ones awake twice, but even then they were surrounded with sleeping dwarves.

"After you freaked- No never mind- forget I said that. I was sitting by the table and heard Gandalf and Elrond talking about you. There was something in the way they looked at each other. I got curious but when I turned to look again they were long gone. I've searched for them for a while, and when I found where they are.. You were with them as well. I couldn't hear much, since I was too late and you were about to finish but I heard the most important part- Hey- _a__re you alright?_"

Fai went white as the moon itself as he talked about how he spied on them. She didn't even want to imagine how much he heard, and what he would think about her. What would Thorin say when he finds out, and how could she explain herself. She felt Kili getting closer to her with worry, as he tried to figure out what was happening with her. He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders, not knowing what else to do.

"Keep going.." Fai mumbled. _In for an inch, in for a mile.  
_

"What I heard was Elrond offering you his hospitality, for good... And I know you are yet to decide."

Was that all he heard, Fai couldn't dare to believe. Feeling her blood rushing on a normal speed again, she tried to free herself from Kili's grip. But she couldn't for he was still holding him and had no thought of quieting down as well.

"I understand that staying would be the safest, and no one could blame you if you chose to. Just- I just.. Don't want to be the reason why you decided to stay."

Well that was unexpected. There was something in his voice that scratched her heart. He sounded desperate. As if he tried to do the things he did entirely different, and now didn't know how to make them right again. He was trying though, she really could tell that.

"What do you mean by that?" Fai asked, sounding more quaky than she could bear.

"I've been so furious with you and I acted like an idiot. You know it wasn't _that_ undeserved though.. You jumped right in the middle of danger every freakin' time."

Fai opened her mouth right away to object in pretty severe ways, however quickly prevented by Kili who has tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"Shh! Just listen. Before you decide, I wanted to.. You know. Make sure you know that I don't hate you. I acted like that because I've grown quite protective of you. All of us do actually, I just don't seem to handle it pretty well.."

And she couldn't hide her smile. It was the nearest thing to an apology and undoubtedly a pretty cute one. Kili on the other hand didn't think he was going well until seeing the smile. He didn't remember the last time he felt this anxious. Now there was a smile, it left him with one last thing to do. He became even more nervous as he scolded himself in his head. _Fili did that, didn't he? So you can as well._

Fai felt his hands on her shoulder pulling her closer inch by inch, and freaked out instantly. _Is he going to-_

Seconds later they were pulled into a hug. His hands were settled in between her shoulder blades clumsily, and her face was rested on his shoulder. She felt the fabric of his blue hood feeling up her chin, and his hair was tingling her ear. It was the weirdest interaction of them ever, for both of them didn't know what to do and couldn't dare to move even an inch. When he talked again, she felt his voice vibrating her body for they were too close.

"I have a whole army of dwarves pressuring me to thank you, you know."

His words made her chuckle, and they shared a little, yet genuine laugh together. Fai started to feel his body heat warming her up as well. It was nice, because she was always cold on Earth, and unfortunately it applied on the Middle-Earth as well.

"I'm with them on this one though." she said, Kili couldn't see her but her voice was giving her smile away. One of them giggled at the awkwardness, and the other followed. They were laughing quietly in each other's arms, and it suddenly wasn't that weird anymore. They slightly shifted to a more comfortable hug, and Kili tightened his grip on her just a little bit more. Fai wished the layers of clothes between them would hide her suddenly thumping heartbeats.

After a moment of silence, two words left his lips huskily, and echoed in Fai's head.

"_Thank you._"

* * *

After a good night's sleep, the company were in a lightsome mood at breakfast. Bofur was darting food in Bombur's mouth from across the table, and he was catching it every time like a happy glutton seal. Bilbo was buried deeply into a tale of Elrond's, while Ori sketched the food. Nori sang a song, making Oin place his hearing trumpet in his ear with joy, while Dori tried to make Ori eat instead of drawing. Even Thorin could be considered chuffed, for he took a liking to his new sword whose name was disclosed by Elrond. _Orcrist_, the Lord had said. The Goblin Cleaver. Also known as the _Biter_ by the ever ugly Goblins.

He ran his eyes over on each of them, one by one. The honorable men who responded his call at once. His kin, the people he can place his trust in. They all looked happy on that day washed with the young lights of the sun. Dragging them along was making him feel restless every once in a while. Balin was old now, he should be resting and enjoying his second spring. Dwalin, Thorin's confidant, his closest friend was always around Balin, trying to protect his elder brother even though the old lad was quite skillful with his sword. Then there was Bofur and Bombur. who didn't hesitate a second before they joined the company, even though it has been explicitly explained to Bombur that there'd be lack of food. Thorin turned his gaze on Bifur, when the sunshine reflecting from the axe in his head blinded him. They weren't even related, so Durin knows what brought this insane, yet surprisingly gentle hearted dwarf along. Everybody knew his anger towards the Orcs, which was quite acceptable considering the axe they buried in his head. Bifur always seemed to seek revenge, and every headbutt he gave to an Orc was soothing the pain. The pain of having loved ones killed by those filthy creatures. Thinking about how _alive _Bifur looked while fighting, and how good he was at it, Thorin felt lucky to have him in this journey.

The dining company was short on its three young members. First escapee was Fai, she hadn't showed up for breakfast and Elrond reassured Bofur and Oin that she could be served later. They nodded in relief and gave up on filling their pockets with food for her. The other lost ones were the brothers, who ate their fill quickly and excused themselves for some training in the woods.

"Out with it already! There's something up with you today." said Fili, holding his sword vertically to block Kili's thrust. The sound of clashing swords filled the air.

"Are you trying to distract me brother? I thought you were better than that!" Kili grinned and darted forward to parry his brother's counter attack.

"Oh drop the act smarty pants, I heard you sneaking out yesterda- _got cha!_" Fili said, immediately taking advantage of his brother's sudden stagger. A sharp swoosh teared the air and Kili found his sword slipping through his fingers. He swore intensely and caught it on the half-way, returning the favor more eagerly this time. Fili set couple of steps back as his brother came upon him with consecutive strikes._  
_

"I couldn't sleep alright? If it weren't for your ear-splitting snoring, I wouldn't go anywhere." he outcried, short on his breath for his excessive snarling.

Fili warned him in a serious tone, losing the annoying attitude for couple of seconds. "Regulate your breath, or it'll slow down and get you beaten by your opponent."

Kili nodded and adjusted his breathing to his movements, while Fili turned back into his annoying self. "And now you're lying like a Goblin! I wasn't even sleeping, how could I, with you constantly toss and turn?"

His words kicked in right away and had Kili infuriated again. The blond prince turned his torso sideways in order to evade his attack and then repaid his thrust just as powerfully. "Show me what that wrist can do." He was attacking him in every direction, without pausing for an instant.

Kili twisted and turned his sword around like a gyroscope, and dodged all of his brothers moves skillfully. It had become so intense that he thought it wasn't worth to find a witty comeback anymore. And since they always shared everything, Kili couldn't not tell him. He gasped and finally gave up, plunging his sword into the ground.

"Alright," he shrugged, exhausted. "I went to see Fai."

After following suit and laying down his weapon, Fili raised an eyebrow and asked sarcastically. "I thought you two couldn't communicate without hitting a certain decibel limit, how come no one hears you?"

Kili for once ignored his comment, thinking he wasn't that wrong this time. "Last night I overheard Elrond, telling her she could stay here if she wants."

His words made Fili raise his other brow as well. "It could be better for her, you know." said the elder brother with a mindful expression on his face. "She got lucky two times, but who could guarantee that her luck's gonna last?"

"I know," sighed Kili, looking as pensive as his brother. "And I told her as well. I went to see her, because I didn't want to affect her decision. I figured she might be thinking that I hate her or something. I don't want her to stay because of it."

"Wow, isn't it a bit of high-flown brother, even for you.. Why do you think that you have direct influence on her decision?"

"Look, I _don't _okay?" His voice was a mixture of despair and as always, anger. "I just wanted to say it."

Fili's eyes softened at his brother's sight, he never had the heart to went hard on him long enough. Without the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice, he put his hand on Kil's shoulder and asked. "So, what else did you talk? Is she staying or?"

Kili shrugged and shook his head. "It was less than half an hour. I told what's on my mind and came back right away. She hadn't made a decision while I was there. And for the rest, I know as much as you do, since she didn't show up for breakfast." He tried to pretend as he didn't leave out the hugging part intentionally.

There wasn't anything else to talk about, so they sat under a tree and whetted their swords. Fili was humming, while Kili remain silent. It was so peaceful that for a moment reality faded away. As if there was no journey or a quest, and the dangers of the Arda were far, far away. There they sat for hours, till the sun settled right on top of them, turning the morning into midday. None of them said a word, till the very moment they heard some foot steps cracking the twigs on the ground.

Two heads turned in anticipation, only to find a girl standing in front of them. A very pale face and bloodshot eyes made clear that not a single second had been spent sleeping the other night. She looked like a ghost of herself. Both standing up, Fili saw a quiver and a bow hanging down on her arm.

"Fai.." mumbled Fili with worry, he'd never seen her like that, not even on the night she came.

"Hey." She smiled nervously, and turned her gaze from the blond one to the other. To a really anxious Kili. "I was wondering.. If you could teach me how to use this bow.. Figured when we hit the road, you might need me to save your life again."

* * *

**Ending Notes:**

*** arimelda: dearest**  
**** Arwen en amin: My lady (non familiar)**  
***** That is actually a song for Aragorn and it's called "Breath of Life". I lifted it from the movies, thinking it would suit Fai's situation perfectly.**

Love y'all people, may you conquer you own finals week!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: ****Here you have an exciting one! I worked harder on this than usual, hope it shows. Welcome to my new readers, also a big thank you to those who have beared with me till this very 10th chapter. :)**

_Nevrane: I have nice plans about this story but I won't give any spoilers ;) I intend to keep it creative at all times.  
TeddybearLovingInsomniac: Haha you are amazing, thank you for encouraging me! Hope you like this chapter just as much.  
__Elena Gilbert 14 and __Eleshey_: yyyup i have updated soon! :) enjoy.  
SilverPenguin87: It was my finals week and I didn't get the chance, but now i can definitely read it! Thank you!  
___DwarvenWarrior, __Miriel Tolkien, __Shippments4ever0725: This one's for you guys, thank you for your constant support. Your constructive criticism in the past helped me improve my writing a LOT. Promise I will keep getting better!_

**Enjoy people! As always, I'm open to your constructive criticism about my writing, so review or DM if you have anything to say. But please keep that in mind that this is my first fiction and I'm not a native English speaker. :**

**Yep, there we go!**

* * *

When the company of Thorin Oakenshield was to take their leave, they were feeling as if they had woken up from a dream. Their stay in Rivendell was to be remembered forever with gratitude and joy. The food was filling, the wine was round and most importantly, the host was wise. Lord Elrond of the Last Homely House had done his best to help them with their quest. He had unraveled the mystery of Thorin's map and given them very specific descriptions on how to get there. Their plans had been improved and their bags had been filled with food.

They had been encouraged and were more eager about the quest than ever before. The effect of Miruvor had enveloped them, refreshing each and every one of them from the inside, even Fai, who had been awake for the most part of their stay. Despite the bed beyond being comfortable, sleep had become a distant friend of hers. She couldn't banish the images of Orcs and Wargs that were constantly in her dreams.

There they stood under the arch, where they once welcomed by the Elven Lord. Stronger in the heart, yet, a tad blue on the inside. While the company was saying their farewells, Bilbo was lost in his thoughts. He was feeling like the best part of the journey was left behind, and there was nothing but danger ahead. There would be no songs of Elves or a proper place to sleep, not to mention a nice, warm and aromatic bath. He had been filled with admiration for the Elves and leaving them behind made his heart ache. A part of him desperately wanted to stay behind and lead a life in the Valley of Imladris, however his itch once been scratched, and there was no way Bilbo could let down his adventurous self anymore. And betraying the company, well, that was out of the question.

Fai looked up and held Elrond's gaze. He had taken her decision very well, in fact, way better than Gandalf did. Once he learned about her getting involved with the company permanently, he had made sure that they were doing their best to reduce her risk of getting hurt. He had trained her himself, he had even found her a sword convenient for her size (which Fili was insistent to call it a toothpick instead) and gave her the basics of how to use it. She hadn't became a swordsman in such short time, yet she was remarkably better at defending herself. On the other hand, she and archery needed much more time. Even though she was good at aiming, her reflexes was in need of a serious reform. She wasn't surprised at all, her former life didn't require her to use her reflexes even the slightest. She was happy with her lovely triangle of computer, fridge and bathroom. She liked to walk or even run every once in a while but she definitely couldn't be considered a sport. And _there wasn't an army of dwarves constantly throwing things at her. _Yeah, after it was clear that she barely had any reflexes, some of the dwarves invented a way to improve it. They were shouting at her when she least expected and before she knew, there was a random object flying in her direction.

They had grown almost a hundred meter away from the Elves when Fai heard Elrond's alarm.

"Tira ten' rashwe!*****"

"_You too?!_" Fai screamed in disbelieve, trying to focus on the blurred object rapidly coming her way. She had to dart forward to catch it before it took an early land.

"May your ways be green and golden.." said Elrond in return, with a smile on his face. His voice was loud without even shouting. When Fai unwrapped the object from the leaves around it, she saw it was the cake she liked the most. She tried to gulp away the lump in her throat, and joined the company with boots that suddenly gotten heavier..

Even thought Elrond had given them an elaborative description, it was still very hard to find their way. The path was deceptive and complex, and they couldn't help but walk in couple circles before Gandalf took a hold of his old memories and led them back in the right direction. He got grumpier as they moved along, in contrast to the singing Dwarves. They had no idea about the dangers settled down around their homeland and its roads, they still took the Arda as they knew before. The last time that any of them had walked those roads were years ago, and there was great difference between the reality and how they remembered it.

Gandalf, on the other hand was wise enough to be alarmed. He was double checking each road to avoid any baleful event (in that case, creature) and still knew it wouldn't be enough. He knew something sinister would pester eventually.

The weather grew colder as their road got rocky. They walked hour after hour without taking a break and the dwarves were done with their songs when they started to feel chilly. The sky began to darken as they slightly shivered under their clothes. The path got narrower and had them climbing and they went up the hill without a word, except Gandalf turning back every now and then to count them.

Fai was having a hard time adjusting to the changes. It all felt unreal after seeing Rivendell. Dark clouds and cold breeze weren't making a sense, being wrapped up again in heavy fabrics and a cloak was neither. And she had figured out the time difference. She couldn't figure out which universe she was in, and everything was doing their best to confuse her even more. There was huge differences between the movies, the book and her reality. She was thinking of the journey to be 14 days, while Thorin said that the Durin's day was the last moon of Autumn, which was pretty far ahead. She also realized that the distances are even longer than she considered, the paths were almost neverending.

Gandalf decided it was time to settle for the night when their path finally gave way for five or six people to walk abreast. Thorin looked like he was to object, however the wind was becoming harder to walk against and they took shelter in a cavity of the hill they've been running up. While the company unpack, Fai heard his snarls about having a frail girl and a miserable hobbit in his company.

_Right, as if I would be the only one to fly away when the storm gets wilder, _Fai ruffled in her head. She had already taken her place in the back of beyond, trying her best to get warmer. Gloin's unhappy grunt reared up as his offer to light a fire got rejected. A rain wasn't welcomed at all, yet it didn't seem to care as it siled down heavily.

Bofur pulled of a spare cloak from his bag and draped it over on Fai. She smiled in gratitude and when Bofur settled down beside her, she laid her head on his shoulder. Rain was pouring down from the mouth of the cavity, forming a curtain out of water. They at least could stay dry unless someone tries to walk out. Fai heard Thorin and Dwalin arguing on what to do in low voices. Bombur served food in noticeably smaller portions. Bilbo, sitting crosswise to Fai smiled at her as he took a bite from what Bombur handed.

"It snowed food and rained drink in Rivendell, as hobbits say. Now it only rains." he said, after devouring his bread in seconds.

Fai and couple of dwarves laughed at his words, as Nori gave him a pat on the back. The night got impenetrably dark after a while and blocked their view. However she could tell by their loud snorings that most of them were asleep. She was gaining her vision back for some split seconds when lightning strikes. And her eyes met a certain dark haired dwarf's eyes for a couple of times in those instants. The thunder-storm was making her ears ring so annoyingly that she wanted to be Oin. The luckily deaf dwarf was snoring louder than everyone at that moment.

There was no way she could sleep.

It was then, the ground beneath them was shaken off its foundation. All of them were asleep in no time and in addition to the great fear, she was also blinded by the light of Gandalf's staff.

"Is this an earthquake?" she screamed, even though she _knew _it wasn't. She was barely able to get her fear under control. It could be considered as an earthquake. And it was definitely not her favorite thing back on Earth and won't become one in Middle-Earth. The feeling of being so small and useless, having no control on the situation was driving her crazy. She couldn't remember when she stood up or started running along the company. The cavity fell behind as they ran, but suddenly, they got restrained by the most unexpected thing.

A huge boulder was flying towards them as if somebody had thrown it, splitting the foggy sky. Its came out of nowhere and hit their mountain above them. The ground had shaken again, as the boulder smashed into little pieces and started raining on them dangerously. Then an even louder crackling heard and they shockingly watched as a part of the mountain _got up on its feet_ in massive anger.

Unfortunately, taking a part of their company with it.

"KILI!" screamed Thorin, Fili and Fai in unison. Every one of them screamed a name of a relative, who got drifted away on a fucking giant. As the Giant walked away in slow motion, Fai could feel her throat getting sore from screaming. She could hardly see the Giants hitting each other through the heavy rain. Hard to see, definitely impossible not to hear.

She didn't know if it was the rain or her own tears that was washing her face. If it wasn't for couple of strong arms dragging her along, she wouldn't move an inch.

Fili hollered in misery, fighting his uncle who was trying to get him to walk. Kili's name echoed in the air, as they climbed down the mountain to find a rather safe place. Huge pieces of rocks beat the mountain every once in a while, sometimes blocking their path, sometimes creating a new one. She didn't know how long they walked or she's been dragged along, but it definitely felt like an eternity.

_There is no way they will make it through alive, _she thought when they finally took refuge in some cave Dwalin found.

"What do we do?!" Fili screamed, he sounded like a wounded animal. "We have to find them, I- I have to find him.. We can't just leave?" There was tears in his eyes and he sounded desperate than ever.

"There is nothing to be done." responded Thorin. Even though his eyes were blurred with tears as well, his voice was doing its best at being distant. "Have you not seen what I have seen, Fili? They have taken by a Stone Giant.."

"Uncle.." he mumbled, his voice braided with anger and despair. Yet, Thorin didn't say further.

Dori was sitting in the depths of the cave, weeping quietly for Ori and Nori. Fai could also hear Gloin's sniffle near her somewhere. There was one voice however, accompanied by a rhythmic clatter, that Fai couldn't decipher. When she turned to the source of it, she saw Bifur softly banging his head to the stone wall, his axe making a noise every time he did. He was rambling things in Khuzdul and it wasn't hard to guess that they were pretty sad things because Bofur and Bombur were both missing.

"Gandalf's with them," Bilbo said eagerly. "He could find a way out, he really can!"

Fai and Fili eyed him with slight hope, however Dwalin and Thorin wasn't impressed. "There are things on Earth even a wizard can't handle." Dwalin said, and Fai noticed his eyes were also polished with a layer of tears. She knew he was dying inside, while Balin might as well, only literally.

Thorin put his hand on Dwalin's shoulder strongly and two dwarves exchanged glances that gloomiest of all.

"We leave once the thunder is over." Thorin said, couldn't dare to look any of them in the eye. A loud clashing sound followed his words. "Or when those bloody giants destroyed each other."

"I don't care what you gonna say, I'm lighting a fire." Fai yelled at Thorin, for the first time ever. Her eyes were bloodshot and she was still weeping. Her mind was haunted by the faces of those dwarves who got separated from them. Ori- ever the naive, Bombur and Bofur who has been beyond nice to her, distant but kind Nori, and Balin who was great at calming people down. And, _Kili. _Thinking about him and seeing how devastated Fili is sent more tears down her cheeks and she fired another glare. "They might see it and come in our way. I believe in them."

She _wished _to believe in them. _This is not right, _she thought, _this is neither the book nor the movies. They have to come back. They just have to._

Without giving Thorin the opportunity to object, a dwarf quickly got up on his feet and came to her help.

Gloin.

He was always the best in lighting fires even in the worst situations. He quickly gathered combustible materials from their bags. Couple of spare wooden bowls, some rags and tatters and similar stuff. He rubbed them with some sticky material he was keeping in a jar. It would keep the fire alive for long intervals of time. Their shadows pulsed and danced on the walls of the cave when Gloin succeed. It wasn't enough to keep them warm but it was strong enough to bear the wind. Fai wished for it to be visible enough from distance.

Not knowing what else to do Fai went beside Fili and sat, who was studying the flames with vacant eyes. She softly placed her hand on the dwarf's wrist, giving a tiny squeeze every now and then to let him know she was there for him. After a while, he placed his unoccupied hand on hers. Bilbo was sitting across them, still in shock.

Dori's weeping resembled a mother's cry. Everybody knew how he always mothered Ori and looked after his black sheep of a brother Nori. Losing them both at the same time had knocked him for six. They sat back to back with Gloin, lightly headbutting each other with the back of their heads from time to time, for some consolation.

_"Khuzd tada ma ublûri zuzna, ma furukhî sakh ghelekh." -_A dwarf that can't endure the bad, will not live to see the good-

It wasn't Bifur's voice, it sounded deeper and stronger than his. It was Dwalin, who was trying to stop Bifur from banging his head against the wall. Bifur turned to him grievously, the face he was wearing broke Dwalin's heart.

_"Achrâchi gabilul." _-it pains me greatly-

There wasn't anything to say in return, since Dwalin was in same amount of pain. So he fell silent and leaned his back against the wall, feeling the sound waves travel to the core of his body as Bifur kept axing the wall slowly. They slowly drifted away in a state of mind that couldn't be considered sleeping, yet, close to it.

Flames danced in Fai's grey eyes as she constantly tried to comprehend. She didn't want to believe that that was how it all changed. She suddenly started to feel incredibly guilty, as it all changed with her presence. If it wasn't for her, all of them would be safe and sound. Without even noticing, she squeezed Fili's hand so hard that for the first time that night, he aroused from his semicoma and turned to her immediately.

"Hey? -_hey_- relax alright? Fai, please try to breathe" Her face looked like a replica of Rivendell as tears cascaded down her cheeks. She couldn't breathe, seized with the fear of ruining Middle-Earth's future forever. She might have damaged Gandalf in an irrecoverable way and thinking the great role he played for the well-being of Arda, she nearly fainted.

"Take-me-out" Fai stuttered, pale as a piece of paper. She almost felt her brain tumbling down over in her skull. There was ice water in her veins, instead of blood. Her shaking was uncontrollable, and the groups of words poured down from her lips were impossible to understand. "_Icantbreathe_."

Seconds later, Fai felt herself levitating. She couldn't see who picked her up, for her vision was blocked with strands of hair that wasn't hers. His embrace was tight and strong, as he stepped out from the cave, she heard him commanding the others to stay inside. The feeling of cold rain beating her face immediately made her feel better, yet air was still an issue. Her weight was supported with only one of his arms which was cradling her firmly, so he freed her from his own hair with his other hand. His fingertips was rough, not to her surprise. But his gesture was shockingly gentle.

_It was Thorin._

And it definitely didn't help to finally be able to see who he was. She felt the panic rushing inside her, as if she was a bottle of coke and someone was constantly shaking her.

"Calm yourself." Thorin demanded with a surprisingly caring voice. His face was haunted with worry. Fai couldn't understand the slightest, but there was something about him that helped her calm down.

"It's all my fault." she whispered, not knowing if Thorin managed to hear from all the thunder.

"I cease to understand how could that be."

They were soaking wet and the wind was jolting Thorin's body at times. She was affected by none, as he gave his back to the wind and shielded her with all he's got. She didn't reveal further as she tried to breathe properly. He was softly caressing her hair. Leaning her head on Thorin's chest, she wished to understand why the sudden care.

"I promised to Gandalf that I would protect you at all costs." Thorin confessed out of nowhere. "Not sure if this is what he actually meant, and definitely not sure _why _he cared about you so much to begin with. But we may never find out and I am to do this on my way."

Fai sobbed silently as Gandalf's name came up. Do wizards really die? Gandalf fought a Balrog and managed to came back, so why wouldn't he this time? She really didn't know what to do on her own, suddenly rejecting Elrond's offer looked like the most idiotic thing she had ever done.

"Hope you have the answers and bless me with them one day." _You know nothing old man, _Fai thought. Telling him what she's all about would be the end of her. Thorin definitely couldn't handle the truth and she doubted if he would be this eager to protect her when he knows what she's capable of. And when he knows _what she had caused._

After her chest stopped going up and down crazily, Thorin decided it was time to get inside. He laid her near the fire by himself, and asked Fili to cover her up. Fai was determined to remain silent, so when Fili draped her over with a cloak, she only nodded instead of a thank you. Her eyes was fixated on the flames, hoping that it would keep raining and their departure would be the latest that possible. The giants were still fighting outside, far away but not far enough to bless them with silence. As she heard rocks crashing into each other, she tried not to imagine the dwarves that might be crashing with them.

At some point she tumbled into a restless sleep, not knowing when or how. During the night, Gloin got up a couple of times to keep the fire burning and Thorin had gone scouting, twice. Fili had stayed with Fai and kept an eye on her. He had stroked her hair couple of times, when she unconsciously jolted in her sleep. Dwalin had been talking to Bifur in Khuzdul the whole night, figuring it was soothing him somehow. Dori's sobbing had slightly gotten better, as he told Bilbo stories about Nori and the childhood of Ori.

The cracklings and the boomings accompanied them for all those time, Thorin started to think it would never end.

* * *

"I'm telling you, there is a light!" cried Kili, his voice hardly making its way in the thunder. He was covered in dirt and there was a couple of cuts here and there on his face. He was pointing to a source of light up in the mountain somewhere, faded, yet undoubtedly coming from a campfire.

"It could be anything. It could be an Orc scout, it could be a trap, it could be some malignant bandits hiding from the thunder." objected Nori, ever the skeptical. Gandalf looked concerned as he slightly nodded his head, making it clear that he agreed.

"Also, there's no way Thorin waits for us laddie, nor he should have. He might have assumed we were dead and lead the rest of the company to a safer place." It was Balin who made a very reasonable point. The dirt that was covering his beard made him look like he did in his younger days.

"I meself don't even know how w're alive lad!" said Bofur as he helped Oin down from a high rock. They'd been walking for hours now. They had flied on a rock the Giant had thrown to his enemy. They had to held onto it for dear life, in order to stay on top of it the whole flight. Gandalf had managed to change their route on the last second and had them landed on a safer place, instead of the Giant's face. It had been impossible for the company to see them, from all the rain and fog. None was injured dramatically, only little cuts and bruises. Since then, they had been walking back to the mountain, hoping to meet the company. Hoping to find them _alive._

_"_What if they couldn't make it?" shrieked Ori. "By Durin's beard, they had thrown lots of rocks to the mountain, had they not?"

Kili furrowed his brows and bellowed "Clam your gob! No need to be like that, eh? We will find 'em." He immediately turned to crimson with regret but he couldn't help it. He knew Ori was just as sad, but thinking that his brother might be dead, he could leave the courtesy aside.

"I'm going. If there is danger ahead, so be it." Kili drew his sword and started marching towards the light. Being left without a choice, rest of the company started following him one by one. Even Gandalf readied his staff and walked after them.

The path required climbing but it wasn't easy when there are Giants throwing huge pile of rocks at them. When a boulder missed them by a few feet, Ori was sure that they won't make it alive. Nori was walking behind him, pulling or pushing him away from the danger at times.

Kili was climbing mindlessly. All of his body felt sore, though he couldn't care less. What's disturbing him was his brain, and the thoughts it produced. Images of his dead family members lying under some rocks gave him a huge lump in the throat. The most detailed one was Fili's, so agonizing that he wanted to smash his own skull. And then there was Thorin, lost one limb or two, lying next to Fili just as dead. For some reason, he was _a hundred percent __sure _that Fai had died. He could see her recklessly throwing herself under a rock to save someone. He could see how her tiny figure got smashed under a boulder.

He held on to the rock so tight that his fingers started to bleed. Again, without a care, he pulled himself up and kept climbing.

* * *

Dwalin was waiting for Thorin's mark. It was an hour before the first lights of the day. They had heard some noises coming down the hill, although it was indistinguishable from the howling wind, yet it was still high enough to alarm the dwarves. Fai had been woken up by Fili. She quickly drew her new sword and took her place among others. Even though she felt dizzy from getting up so fast, she kept quiet and pointed her sword to the mouth of the cave. She mounted her guard between Thorin and Fili.

The noises got closer as they firmed their poise. None of them dared to imagine what might appear through the fog and the endless rain, so they waited with great tension. When they heard a loud clash, Fai's view suddenly blocked by Thorin and Fili, who were shielding her. Bilbo was behind her, but he hadn't drawn his sword.

All hell broke loose in seconds. Fai couldn't see anything but the sound was unbelievable. The cave suddenly echoed by the clattering of lots of metal beating the ground beneath her feet. Every one of them roared and sang out as Fai stood there with her sword still pointed up.

When her view got finally unblocked, all she could see was the weapons on the ground. Swords, blades, hammers and axes. Dwarves were all balled up here and there, hugging and headbutting each other. She could see that they were increased in the number. Still, time wasn't lapsing for her. It was either her sleepy head, or the shock, she just couldn't wrap her mind around it.

Fili was punching a dark haired dwarf in the arm with a priceless smile on his face.

Then she understood.

Her sword slipped down from her hand as well, as she stood there with her jaw dropped. No one seemed to notice her, as everyone was reuniting with a close relative, so she stood there and watched them. Bifur was hugging Bofur and Bombur hysterically, while Dori was checking Ori and Nori for some wounds and scars. She felt a bit - _alone, _really. It was only natural for them to go mad like that, and she didn't feel left out, she was just affected by the intension of their reunion. Their love and concern about each other made her heart ache.

That was one thing she never get the chance to experience,

_till that day._

She couldn't hold back her little scream as Bofur crushed her into a hug. A bone breaking, breath-taking, real Dwarven hug. At some point she was really scared that she was going to get headbutted, luckily that didn't happen.

"Yer alive child! Knew ye'd pull through!"

She had cried multiple times since the beginning of their journey, and at some point she felt really bad about it. She couldn't recall many characters that cried as much in the fan fictions she'd read.

_Ah for fuck's sake, _she thought, _even Dwalin is crying._

So she let her tears down and hugged Bofur back, as he ruffled her hair. Happy tears, those were the best kind. Then someone snatched her from Bofur and there she was, crushed into a new hug with Bombur. He was like a huge pillow and really fun to hug, also his braided beard was tickling her so much that they both started to laugh. When she fell short on breath, Bombur finally let her go and she saw Gandalf smiling at her from aside.

A couple more hugs later, she sensed a pair of eyes piercing her back. When she turned to make sure, there he was. Kili, striding towards her with a cheeky grin on his face.

"You know I almost took a wager on whether you had died or not. I was almost certain that you threw yourself under a rock or something."

Not giving Fai enough time to answer, he reached out and placed his hand on the small of her back, then pulled her into a hug. It wasn't a weird one like they had in Rivendell, but it also wasn't a rough one like the others gave. It was surprisingly gentle, and lingering. Despite all the dirt on him, she could still smell his familiar scent. Her arms were thrown around his neck and their embrace was tight.

At some point, she felt her cheeks started burning and although it hadn't even been a minute, they both felt uncomfortable of the intensity of their very public hug. As they pulled apart, she had finally came up with a respond.

"That's because there wasn't an idiot like you needing me to save his ass."

He faked a humiliated look, then they both cracked up.

* * *

After the first shock, they helped them dry their clothes and Oin helped everybody with their injuries. The fire had been put out again. They spread their beds as Gandalf made them laugh with the colourful smoke rings he puffed. They had to hit the road but after all the exhaustion it was impossible that even Thorin agreed on an hour of sleep. Fai happily closed her eyes as others quietly discussed about what to do with their share of the treasure.

Bombur's plans were involving lots of food, as Bofur wanted to make some toys out of gold. Ori wasn't asking for much, just a bottle of high quality ink, really. It was really easy to drift off whilst they talk, Fai was almost to fall into a nice, welcoming dream after some sleepless nights and haunting nightmares.

Then, the loudest scrunch echoed in the cave.

And the ground beneath them _literally _fell into pieces this time.

* * *

**EN:**

**Tira ten' rashwe!: Look out!**

**I always forget about the disclaimer lately. so there you have it. -.-** _  
__Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Fai, my lovely girl. All the other material belongs to Mr JRR -ever the amazing- Tolkien, and some of them belong to PJ, who had me scream in movie theaters again. _


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey there lovely people, I'm back with another one. :3**

**Let me answer your questions. You should read with the one about how tall Fai is. :3**

rubyred: Oh my :O I picked that up from somewhere and really liked the phrase, but now I need to go and warn that person as well, for she used it wrong too. :3 Thank you!  
the Oz Meister and Jen Baas: I'M BEYOND GLAD!  
Shippments4ever0725:Oh I'm happy that someone likes Thorin & Fai scene just as much as me! I was going mental while writing it. :3  
TeddybearLovingInsomniac: YOU THINK THEY ARE CUTER THAN KILIEL? I can't even breathe. Really.  
whiteredebony: Glad you asked it, cause for some reason I was thinking that I placed it into the story. Well, in my head, she is just as tall as Kili. See, if you google "Gimli and Eowyn" you'll see the height difference between them. Gimli is a short dwarf, and Eowyn is a full-grown woman. And she is also royalty. There's a thing about Tolkien and heights. He often links being tall with nobility. So, considering Fai isn't noble and also not full-grown in the Dwarves' eyes, for them her shortness is not something to be suspicious of. :)  
Miriel Tolkien & Birdy21: Always a pleasure to have you liking the story. :) Also Miriel, it was one of my favorite parts.  
SilverPenguin87: Hahaha we all would love that, wouldn't we? ;) But you have to wait, I won't give them the pleasure this quickly. :)

**Again, I added some things to the storyline. :) You'll see what I'm talking about when you read the last part. Enjoy, and review if you feel like it! :3**

* * *

Fai felt herself hovering in the air for a second, as if she was a cartoon character.

Then came the fall. She roughly landed on some moist, moss-covered surface which immediately had her sliding. It was raining dwarves as they joined her on the freaky slide of a tunnel. Their grunts echoed away, and the last thing Fai saw was the Wizard hanging way up above in the cave, holding onto a stone step with all of his power.

They were spiraling down the tunnel, colliding from time to time. When one of the dwarves passed Fai by at full steam, she felt the touch of cold metal on her shoulder to elbow. At first, there was nothing. She didn't feel anything. Seconds later, her little scream joined the cacophony. She felt her tunic sticking to her arm with the warmth of blood, as a stinging pain spidered on.

"Have a command of your blades!" she moaned in pain.

"Are you alright?!" a concerned voice waved towards her, yet there wasn't enough time to answer as the tunnel abruptly came to an end and the free fall began.

"Seriously, watch out!" she screamed over seeing the neon blue glow of Bilbo's sword with the corner of her eye. The chances were pretty high that someone could land on a weapon and split in half. Fortunately, it didn't happen. Nagging, shouting and wriggling, pile of dwarves fell into huge spherical cages. They were made out of wood and looking like claws.

Fai's landing was rather soft, for she was one of the lasts to fall and hadn't met the hard surface. Her hit had been softened by some dwarf she had fallen on. She groaned as trying to figure out who was under her. Grey eyes met brown, and she lifted her eyebrows apologetically. "Sorry-"

Her word turned into a scream when someone pulled her hair and started dragging her along. Her eyes brimmed with tears in pain, as she felt something boiling inside her out of great anger. Her arms linked to two Goblins, she felt herself levitating. A couple of kicks she swung hit the target, making the hands wandering on her sweep more aggressively. Hands, hands were everywhere. Pinching, scratching and searching. It took her couple more kicks before she found herself chained together with the rest of the company. The cuffs on their wrists were heavy and rusty, and everytime a Goblin tugged the chain, the rough edges of the cuffs cut them.

The convoy broke when Dwalin, as mad as a hornet, headbutted a Goblin. His action brought more aggressiveness from the Goblins and now Fai had to run to keep the cuffs from being buried into her skin. There was still blood pouring out from her wound, but it was the least of her worries.

There was - and still is - no proper adjective to describe how the air smelt. It was fouled with decay, and if such thing existed, _Goblin sweat. _Fai couldn't decide which was worse, the smell or the view. Her conundrum grew even wilder, when they had finally appeared before the gigantic, disgusting, disastrous Goblin King.

Their appearance led up to some kind of song. Goblins of all sorts of height and disgustance came out of their holes, started to cheer and circle around them. They watched a bunch of Goblins piling up under the Goblin King's throne, forming a step out of flesh.

When Fai looked up, she saw no ceiling but a neverending darkness. It was hard to guess how down they were under the ground, but the sight was frightful and she tried not to have a panic attack. _At least you're not locked in a small cell, _she tried to relieve herself. _There's so much room to breathe. You are not kilometers under the ground. You are not._

When her chest started going up and down swiftly, she felt a cuff hitting hers. Then a hand searching for hers as their fingers intertwined seconds later. She turned and met Kili's gaze.

"Calm down." he mouthed through all the gongs and thumps. And squeezed her hand a bit. Fai nodded muddledly as Goblin King started to sing with his torture of a voice.

_Swish, smack! Whip crack!_  
_Smash, grab! Pinch, nab! _  
_You go, my lad!_  
_Ho, ho! My lad!_

So did the Goblins. They followed every order their King gave through the song. The circle of Goblins around the company tightened and Fai got pinched for the twelfth time that day. They tried to kick them away but their efforts went down the drain. Nori's yelp reared as a Goblin pulled his beard.

_The black crack! The back crack!  
Down down to Goblin-town  
You go, my lad!  
Ho ho! My lad!_

Dwalin to her right kicked a Goblin in its knees when he saw him scratching Fai's cheek with his sharp nails. Creature got mad when he tried to attack, but Dwalin sent him off with another kick. The pile of Goblin-steps squeaked when their King stepped on them. He was so huge that he could barely balance all the weight of his body. It was wrong to call that thing a body, really. It was a couple of pouches stitched together. Pouches of fat, tumor and herpes. His face was an extension of a very wobbly lump. Fai couldn't believe the sight in front of her when he started_ to dance._

And to their surprise, it was no ordinary tread. He was performing some kind of a _ballet. _His lumps flowed in the air instead of a tutu. There was Goblins in charge of keeping him on his feet. When he leaned forward, they went behind and pulled him. And when he fall behind, they pushed him back.

Fai could laugh, if he weren't looking that nauseating and by looking at the tightened grip on her hand, she thought Kili was feeling the same. She gasped when the foul creature pulled of a full pivot. When he got tired, he wobbled back to his throne and the song slowly died down.

He stomped his staff on the ground and yelled.

"Well well well! What kind of miserable poultry do we have here?" He tended to tilt his head when he talked, which made one of his eyes seem bigger, maybe it actually was.

"Dwarves, your Malevolence! And-" he pulled at Fai's chain so that she fell forward on to her knees. "_This._" Kili jolted a bit as they hands parted, and he clenched his fists in unison with rest of the dwarves when she fell.

"Well, don't you just stand there and gawk! Search them! Take everything!"

A grund of Goblins eagerly swarmed around them and took their swords, blades, all kinds of weapon. In seconds their belongings were piled up in front of the King. His grin got wider with every item added to the batch.

"What be your business around my kingdom? _Speak!_" the Goblin King snarled. Even a slight movement was snowballing into huge wobbles in his body. Fai looked around curiously to see who was going to speak up. She was still on her knees and the pain was terrible, for one of her knees landed on her chain. The metal was sinking into her skin more every second, and her knee cap was sizzling.

"We were on the road." tattled Bofur. "Well, it's not so much a road as a path. Actually, it's not even that, come to think of it. It's more like a track."

Despite all the pain, Fai bit away the smile trying to come to life on her lips. On the other hand, the Goblin King looked bewildered. One of his eyes grew even wider whilst he tried to process the words. Bofur took the chance and continued with his rambling.

"Anyway, the point is, we were on this road, like a path, like a track. And then we weren't, which is a problem, because we were supposed to be in Dunland last Tuesday."

She heard Dori's voice interrupting. "Visiting distant relations!"

However the king was out of patience. He roared so loud that all the goblins crouched down with little squeaks. Dwarves were the only was standing.

"Enough of that, really. _BRING ME MY TOYS_! And someone play me some music!"

The Goblins watching them from above ran off in all directions. In no time, the company were deafened by the gong again. An inauspicious rattle heard while Goblins pushed huge machines towards them. Goblin King drummed with the end of his staff, with every beat the ground beneath them quaked. The company had the pouts as the king started singing again.

_Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung_  
_You'll be beaten and battered, from racks you'll be hung_  
_You will die down here and never be found  
__Down in the deep of Goblin-Town!_

Unlike the other one, this song was enough to give Fai the creeps. She thought that it was highly possible to die there, and like the song said, to never be found. She tried to reposition her knee but she couldn't free it from the chain ring that had become embedded to her skin. Remembering how easily her skin bruises, she gulped.

Near the end of the song, two machines mounted before them. Numerous wooden parts bonded with ropes to form a tormentor. She wanted so bad to be _with_ the dwarfs instead of kneeling in front of them by herself. Her torturer push her under and she yelped with pain of the chain merging in to her skin ever further.

"Well, start with the young ones will ya?" the king of the repulsiveness gestured. "The _girl _and the other girl among the dwarves!"

He was pointing at Fai and Ori. The dwarves protested as they pulled onto Ori's chains and refused to give him away. When they realized Fai's chains were detached from theirs, it was nearly impossible to hold Fili and Kili back. That was when Thorin's piercing voice transpired.

"Wait."

The giant king's eyes were thrice the size. He looked at Thorin like he was walking and breathing gold.

To the Goblin King, he actually was.

"I can't believe my eyes!" he sang. "_The King Beneath the Mountain_ is beneath my own mountain! It is very interesting now, innit? I know someone who'd pay a pretty price for your not so pretty head!"

Thorin glowered, letting no words out.

"You know of him very well. A Pale Orc." He spoke slowly and extended the words, enjoying their effect to the most. When Thorin opened his mouth to respond, his eyes were inflamed.

"I slained him with my own two hands, _Azog the Defiler_ is buried in the filthy pages of history!"

The Goblin King's chortle was worse than his singing. It twisted and turned, died down at some points and then got even louder. He laughed for a full minute, wobbling and jiggling every inch of his body. When he finally fell out of breath, he skewered a few of goblins with the horns on his staff. He then threw them away, with a final touch of a giggle. Every one of his servants fell silent again, out of utter fear.

"Send the word to the pale Orc, and claim my prize!" the King commanded, as a baby-goblin scribbled on a piece of paper. When finished, he pulled a lever and slid down a system of ropes and pulleys, his evil laugh echoing in the dark.

The giant creature held Fai's gaze and whispered brutally.

"There's no reason why we can't have fun while waiting. And I still want to know about your scheme."

* * *

The pain was beyond measure. It was as if every millimeter of her body was on fire. The muscles in the joining points of her limbs burned like embers. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she cried out in excruciating pain. And then there was the pain _she_ caused herself. She was biting her lips to keep the words inside. Biting so hard that her canine teeth sinked into her lips, pouring the blood out. She was afraid of giving their plan away. But then there was one more thing she was afraid of.

She was afraid of giving _herself_ away. With all of her body, she wanted it to stop. She wanted to beg, she wanted to offer _her knowledge _to make it all stop. She choked on her own blood as her tensed veins and muscles started to feel like hot wires under her skin.

Ori was no better. Fai and him were both tied onto some desks with gears attached on them. A gear for each limb, a Goblin for each gear. The Goblins on duty were rotating gears little by little, making their victims' limbs stretch out in painful angles. They were enjoying their job so much that at some point they had became tongue-tied out of joy. Ori put up with it all just as bravely, but there was something that was pushing his limits.

His hand. The thought of losing the ability to draw or write was almost more painful then the torture itself. He tried to stretch his body so that his hand suffers the least. When the fuckers rotated the gears even more, he screamed in unison with Fai.

Even though he enjoyed the scene, the Goblin King was also bored with their discretion. "Show me their belongings_._" he complained, wanting to keep himself busy with something else.

A few of his servants besieged the pile of weapons they took from the Dwarves. Oin's flattened hearing trumpet was among them. Choosing the most magnificent looking ones and showing them, they tried to impress their King. It was then, a third scream joined Fai and Ori's.

A long, frightening scream that alarmed all the Goblins.

"The Goblin-Cleaver! The _Biter_!" the King wailed. The one who found the _Orcrist _dropped it immediately. All of the Goblins were moved away with fear and dwarves started looking around for a chance to escape, but a shout resonated through the walls killed their attempt.

"Slash them! Cut their heads off!"

Fai was definitely sure that her arms and legs weren't attached to her anymore. At some point, pain had became her reality and there was no such thing as "_more pain_". There was only _pain, _erasing everything else and taking over her body and mind. That's why when she got blinded with a bright, white light, she thought she was dying _and felt happy._

She didn't know that that light was visible to everyone. Her tormenters screamed in fear and stepped back immediately, when a familiar voice scolded them all.

"Take up arms! Fight! FIGHT!"

On Gandalf's mark, Fai saw someone coming to her aid, struggling with the ropes that tied her down. She couldn't _feel, _but saw, for her limbs were beyond numb to his touch.

"Can you stand up?" he asked, then took her into his arms, guessing the answer way before she spoke. Tattooed hands held her tightly as its owner ran back to the battleground, headbutting and kicking every Goblin who stood in their way. She saw they were getting closer to Gandalf, as he spread his arms to take her. Ori was hanging loose on Wizards shoulder. After ensuring their security, Dwalin picked up his hammer and lashed into a bunch of Goblins.

Fai wanted to participate, wanted to jump back on the ground and fight with them. She was flaming with vengeance, and wished for someone to slay her and Ori's tormenters. She wasn't familiar with this feeling, but decided it was way better than fear. She wanted to hurt someone back.

Way up high from where she had been carried, she had a good vision of the battle ground. It was finally a good thing for Gandalf to be that tall. She realized the dwarves were still chained together, except for Dwalin. He was exclaiming battle cries and hammering two or three goblins at the same time. He looked like the description of being badass.

Gandalf was also a rebel, balancing Ori and her at the same time, and still managing to kick some ass. They were running through narrow bridges as they pushed lines and lines of Goblins down. At one stage, she saw the company using a ladder to drive the Goblins off, Kili was on the frontmost. She also realized that he was looking back every now and then, trying to understand whether Ori and her was alright.

After some more chasing, the wooden bridge in front of them suddenly _exploded. _Battens and wooden bollards scattered all around. The Goblin King who came out of nowhere was responsible for the mess. He roughened with pride and gave them a threatening look, while Gandalf lowered Fai and Ori down on the ground. Rest of the dwarves immediately circled them, trying to make them stand up as Gandalf pointed his sword and staff up at the Goblin King at the same time.

"There is no escape from me! What are you going to do now, nidget?."

Fai was trying to stand upon her jelly of legs, helding by both Kili and Balin while Ori was standing still by the help of Dori and Nori. When Gandalf evaded Goblin King's strike, Fai heard Kili's concerned whisper in her ear.

_*Are you alright?*_

She looked him in the eye instead of giving an answer, knowing that lying was pointless. Then an abrupt gasp split the air.

"That'll do."

Figuring it was the part where Gandalf rips the Goblin's guts open, she held on to Kili's arm even tighter. The bridge teared apart with a sudden crack and they began to fall. They were all interlaced with the chains, so the fall didn't separate them.

They started to float in the air in full speed and for the tenth time of that day they were all sure of their death was coming. Kili took Fai in his arms instead of supporting her weight with Balin, and pressed her tightly to his chest. Fai saw Dori and Nori locking Ori in between. She couldn't see anything else as they kept falling, and when they finally hit the ground, there began the sliding. The bridge was acting like a sledge and carried them forward at full speed. They stopped a couple of minutes later when tossed into a wall.

It was all calm and peaceful for a few seconds, until one of them stammered, pointing up the hill. "_GANDALF_!"

Hundreds of Goblins were running towards them, screaming and poking the air with their weapons. They were looking like little spiders as they rushed forward. Fai saw one of the most troubled expressions appearing on the Wizards face. "Here now, get up!" he roared. "The daylight will be our saviour."

_Get up, yeah _Fai laughed in her head, still having jellylike limbs. This time someone else picked her up before she knew, and they all started running after the wizard. Fortunately it didn't take them long to find a way out. Blinded by the sudden daylight, they all snarled with grumpiness and Gandalf's mumblings heard as he counted them.

"Alright that's it." Gloin grunted. "We need to separate first."

Keeping counting for some reason, Gandalf absent-mindedly broke the chains binding them with his staff. His touch heated the metal and had all the Dwarves grunting even more for a few minutes. But the wizard didn't seem to care.

"Bilbo?!" he then recognized, his eyes wildly inflamed. "Where is Bilbo? Where is our Burglar?"

"What happened to him?" Bofur inquired, as all of them started looking around.

"Let me tell you what happened." Thorin gave them a condescending nose laugh. "Our nitwit of a burglar found the perfect opportunity to flee. We won't be seeing our Hobbit again, for must be on his way to his safe hole underground already."

"No he is not?"

Bilbo _literally _appeared out of the blue, his hand was in his pocket. Anyone else but Fai had seen that. All of the dwarves except one sighed in relieve, as they gave him comforting pats on his shoulder, some of them ruffled his hair.

"It's true that I miss my home and I'm not ashamed of this. I miss my fireplace, miss my kitchen - which you came to like it just as much, I also miss my garden and my books. It's my _home, _see? And that's why I'll stick around till the very end, that is why I will keep my promise. To help you reclaim the place you can call your home."

The dwarves fell quiet then, looking at the brave Hobbit in front them in admiration. Even Thorin had no words to say and there were traces of a defeated smile on his face.

"Move." he commanded but not as solemn as usual. "He have injured ones amongst us." With his last words, a worried expression appeared on his face. He reached out to support Ori's weight. As they started walking, with him carrying Ori on his back, he smiled and praised. "You did good today Ori. You did very good."

* * *

It took them around an hour to find a place they could take shelter. By the looks of it, and the piles of hay inside, it once was a barn and attached to a farm. But as they stood there was nothing but the remains of it could be seen. It didn't matter, for a barn itself was more than enough. Once Dwalin and Nori made sure that it was safe inside, and the place has been abandoned for years, they went inside and made makeshift beds out of hay. Ori and Fai were capable of some clumping by then, so they clumsily headed towards their beds. Dori accompanied Ori to his pile of hay, while Fai was rejecting any kind of help.

"I've been carried around enough for one day!" she protested, but Fili insisted on walking beside her just in case. He made sure that she made it safely to her bed, then wandered away to check on Ori.

"I suppose you didn't spill the beans."

Fai startled at the sudden whisper, why did he have to always creep up? Gandalf smiled mischievously, as he knew what had crossed her mind. She pointed her body with her two forefingers and rolled her eyes.

"And look where it got me."

The wizard's face clouded with worry, but he tried to keep it vivacious. "Oh come now." he chuckled, lightly flapping his hand in front of his face. "Don't tell me you regret it."

Fai laughed back and shook her head. "Of course I don't.. I am just surprised that I pulled it off. And to be honest.. A little bit angry, because I didn't get to stab a Goblin. I would be good to use some of the tricks Elrond taught me.."

"And I hope you never get the chance." Gandalf responded, wearing that worried look again. They stood there in silence until Oin came to tend her wounds. That was when Gandalf excused himself and went for a Valar-knows-what.

Outside of the barn, a young dark haired dwarf was sitting, his back against the faded red wall. He looked troublesome. He plucked fistfuls of dead grass out of the soil as a furious expression took over his face.

"Come on, let's go inside! I've found some water."

Looking up, he saw his brother standing with a bucket in his hand. It was one of the rarest moments that Kili didn't want his brother around. Turning a deaf ear, he kept plucking the grass. He didn't want to be inside, he had been wreaking his anger on the grass just because of that. He knew it was more than some unwillingness though, and it wasn't that he wouldn't. He _couldn't _be inside, for some reason.

"Stay here." commanded Fili, and held the bucket of water higher. "I'll drop this off to Oin, and come back immediately. He's trying to clean Fai's wounds."

Hearing what he just said knocked him back another fistful of grass. Being this worried was annoying him so much that he wanted to smash his head against the wall behind him. He sighed in despair, and finally left the poor grass alone. Kili's concern was arising from anger. And by former experiences, he knew how he would act around Fai when he was angry. And he was a hundred percent sure that he'd be infuriated upon seeing her wounds. _Not only hers, _he protested against himself in his head. _Also Ori's. _He wished for more Goblin ass to kick, there was no way his anger would go away easily. That foul creatures, that little-

The amount of desperation he felt when they took her and Ori was more than he could bear. At first Fili was just as eager, but after a while Kili was so out of control that he forgot about himself and focused on keeping his brother still. Kili took a breath and rolled his sleeves up. His wrists were still cuffed, but under them there were circles of half-dried blood. He let a quiet moan out of pain and closed his eyes while still trying to calm down.

"Ori is beyond happy that his wrist isn't broken." Fili reported, as he sat cross-legged against his brother.

"Oh that's fine!" Kili smiled for real. But he was restless, he was squirming lightly on where he sat. He was curious about a certain someone and could hardly hide it. It was kind of weird, really, while a part of him was dying to hear how she was, rest of his body was refusing to learn. There he stood, feeling like a total maniac.

"As for Fai," Fili began with hesitation, he had felt that something was not right about his brother. He suspected of a wound or something, and by looking how ill-at-ease Kili looked, Fili thought that he might be in pain. Analyzing every little change in his brother's mimics, he continued. "She has some unpleasant wounds."

There it was, the dramatic change on his face; instantly furrowed eyebrows, and darkened eyes. Fili thought how enraged his brother became when the Goblins tortured Ori and Fai. It had been incredibly hard to pull him down. He too, rolled his sleeves up and threw his brother a painful smile. His wounded wrists were exposed, the cuffs had slashed him too while he was struggling with his brother.

"Nothing too major tho," Fili continued, in the hopes of calming his brother down. Also, he hoped to understand what was is it with Kili. "And she asked me where you are."

As Kili's face instantly softened, Fili stared at him with his jaw dropped, slapping himself in the forehead in astonishment.

_By. My. Beard. _Fili thought_,_ totally stupefied and barely banishing the smile from his lips. His face lit up with enlightenment.

"Are you alright?" Kili eyed his brother questioningly, looking confused and slightly annoyed.

"Yyep, perfectly fine." Fili laughed off. Of course Kili didn't believe it, but honestly, he was in no mood for further investigation. Truth be told, he was now obviously annoyed with his elder brother's nonsense. _Mahal, _he thought, _as if I don't have enough to worry about._

Fili, who was constantly trying to keep a straight face, got up un his feet. "We have to go inside now alright?" he inquired, giving Kili a helping hand. "Oin's gonna check our wounds too."

The brown headed one felt his breaths shortening as they went into the old barn.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey again! This one is full of emotion and relationship developments, but a big, excited update is soon to come! :)**

Jennifer: Thank you! Keep the love coming :3 hahaha i want them to kiss as well, but we all have to wait for it..  
TeddybearLovingInsomniac: She'll get better. :) I think you'll love this one!  
whiteredebony: You're welcome! Hahaha that was the most fun part! Glad you like it, he was hard but amusing to describe.  
SilverPenguin87: Fili is a clever one, isn't he? ;)  
Birdy21: :3 :3 thank you for sticking around!

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Fili pushed the wooden door open and the young princes went back inside. The dwarrows were all occupied with their own thing. Without a doubt, Oin was the busiest as he covered the injured ones with his special ointment. Gloin and Bombur were absent, probably looking for food and some dry branches to start a fire with. Bofur and Bifur were engaged in something just as important; woodcarving. They were trying to carve a masterkey out of wood, that would free them all from their cuffs. They were consulting each other in Khuzdul every once in a while. Bifur's concentrated face and gentle way of working on the wood was something to see. A person who didn't know about him at all would never tell that he was normally a very quick-tempered and excited one.

"Oin, _please_ go get your hearing trumpet fixed, ALRIGHT?"

The roar that soared unannounced scared the young princes off. It came from Fai, who had gotten sick of trying to make herself heard. She wanted him to fix that damn trumpet as soon as possible, so she could give the specifics about her injuries, like where it hurts the most. Her face softened when Oin smiled at her guiltily, and she sighed.

"Go now, okay? Bofur will be more than glad to see to it."

Kili was nailed to his spot at the sight of her. She looked completely worn out_. _Her face was pale, but her lips, her chin and neck was smudged with her crimson blood. There was a scar on her cheek, probably caused by a damn Goblin nail. The tunic she was wearing was tattered and thorn, and it too, was washed in her blood. Even some strands of her long gold hair was stained with blood. It all gave Kili a tightness in his chest, as if someone was sitting on his ribs and keeping him from breathing. He couldn't tell but his fists were already clenched and something was pulsing along her jawline as he gritted his teeth.

When Fai meet his gaze, she got goosebumps out of fear. He looked like as if he was going to punch something, or _somebody. _She quickly considered what she might be done this time, however came up with nothing. She definitely had had no choice this time, she hadn't volunteered for the torture, nor she had tried to save someone. If he was angry with her, because she refused to tell their plan? _No, _she thought, _it'd be too insane, even for him. _When Kili broke the eye contact and stomped towards Ori, she felt heavy.

Fili shook his head in disbelieve towards his brother and walked to the girl who suddenly had puppy eyes. "Any better?" he asked, clasping her hand in his own two. Fai faked a smile.

"Kinda. Oin has taken care of the wound on my shoulder so far, but I doubt if there's anything he could do about my arms and legs. I feel like a puppet with disconnected wires, Fili. Being useless sucks. Not that I was useful before-"

"You are not being anything but a fool, love." his voice was so warming that Fai smiled for real this time. "If there's anyone being useless, that is me."

Fai frowned at his words as he made no sense to her. She tried to straight herself in the bed, but it was way too painful and her muscles was still in no use. "What do you mean by this nonsense?" she inquired, looking right into his eyes.

Fili let go of her hand. He was suddenly having difficult time looking into her eyes, and when he finally spoke he sounded heart breaking. "I had offered you my sword, you know. I had sworn that I would protect you at all costs. You managed to save my brother's life, yet, I failed to save you and here you are, lying on a makeshift bed with countless wounds."

Fai would hug him if she could. His dwarven pride was unbelievable, thinking that he should've stand up to the Goblin King and his multitude of an army to save her, it was the most loyal thing she'd ever heard. "Fili," she mumbled. "I know you would, if you could. Please don't beat yourself up? And seriously, you don't even have to! That was a one big oath you took, you know.."

This time it was Fili who eyed her in disbelieve. He was looking at her as if she suddenly grew a third arm or something. "_Of course _I have to?" he squawked. "You are my sister now, Fai." The way he uttered the words left no room for surprise. He acted as if what he said was the most natural thing, and that Fai should be knowing that already.

_"Am I what?" _The lump in her throat was no such thing to easily gulp away. No one, again, _no one_ had ever referred to her as a sister. She had no family, nor she knew how to be a part of one.

"Sister, Fai. _Khazush_." Fili looked her with great compassion. He definitely knew how to be a big brother, and he was probably the best at being one. He could see then, that Fai was no way near of knowing what is it like to have a brother. He tried to understand if it was from the memory loss, or if she had no family at all. He held her gaze again, and spoke. "After what I saw today, I am more sure, even. You didn't say a word, Fai. They couldn't break you. You are one of us now, better start considering yourself one."

Fai couldn't form a single word. She just spread her arms clumsily, looking like a broken puppet and tried to make him understand that she needed a hug. Yet, Fili shook his head no. Instead, he held both of her hands this time and sent a genuine smile.

"I can't dare. You have way too many wounds for a hug."

Eyeing a very dispirited Kili with the corner of his eye, Fili thought he wouldn't dare to hug her also for another reason. His brother was spying on them since they began to talk and everytime Fili showed affection, Kili's eyes on him felt like lasers. Fili wanted to laugh, more than anything actually, but he wouldn't do this to his brother. Insisting on she must be resting, the gold-headed prince smiled one more time and excused himself. Just before he turned his back, Fai's impish voice called for him.

"Admit it, the whole sister thing. It's just because we both have golden hair, innit?"

* * *

.oOo.

* * *

"What did that filth mean about the Pale Orc?"

Out in the woods, the King Beneath the Mountain stood with a face that was solid as a statue. He wore a violent frown, and under it there were volcanos replacing his eyes. Dwalin and Balin were accompanying him. Dwalin was sitting on what once was a tree. It was looking like a wide, slick table instead. By whomever it had been cut, the dwarf wondered.

Right in front of Thorin was Balin, studying him with a concerned expression on his face. He didn't know how to put him wise to what had been going on for all those years. Of course, Balin had heard the gossips. After all, they had never be a witness to the Orc's death first hand. As a matter of fact, they had only assumed that he was destroyed, by looking at the mortality of his wounds.

The gossips had grown wilder with the passing of time, but somehow Balin always managed to keep Thorin immune to them. They couldn't afford to have him went after that beast after all, they couldn't afford to lose another king. It had took Balin a little, yet crucial conversation with Gandalf to know that Azog was alive. The Wizard had pulled him aside back in Bag End, to had him warned about their enemy. Later on, the attack of the Orcs with Wargs had made it pretty clear that they'd been hunted. And finally, the Goblin King's statement left no room for doubt that the pale Orc was alive.

"You my lad, have more fateful things now to concern about." responded Balin finally, with a persuasive tone.

"I demand an answer!" Thorin roared, so loud that his voice made couple of ravens fly away.

"If you don't want to reveal our hiding place for the night, I suggest you keep your voice down." Balin's voice stiffened up as he glared at Thorin. There was times when Balin treats Thorin like the reckless child he was, instead of a king. That was one of those times. The old man used his authoritative side against Thorin's pure dwarven stubbornness. And surprisingly, it worked as Thorin lowered his voice down to a more reasonable level.

"I have to finish what I had started, Balin."

His words stirred Dwalin. The dwarf stood up and lurched towards his best friend. His face looked firmer than usual, if such thing was possible with Dwalin. "Look," he started, his voice all gravelly. "If that is what you want, I will follow you to the Halls of Mandos."

Thorin's eyes became glassy over Dwalin's remark. "I know you would." he tried to smile, putting his hand on his shoulder. "But this my fight and my fight only. I need to separate his miserable head from his filth of a body by myself."

"Not necessarily." Balin interrupted, putting on the indomitable face. "The journey once has been started, and you were the one who called upon us. You will not be leaving us for a side-quest."

"You know just as well master Balin that this is not an issue I can take lightly. I will have my father's revenge, this is another quest itself. _Azog the Defiler_, shall die a terrible death." his voice grew wilder as he came to the end of his words. With early rays of sunlight shining upon his head, he was looking like the mighty king he is.

"Then let him get into hot waters. Let him come to us, instead of abandoning our main purpose." Dwalin spoke, with fires burning in his eyes. Balin gazed upon the King with his confidant standing beside him. Dwalin, Balin's brother, and Thorin was always alike. And Balin had felt the need to look after them both. He had been watching over them both for all those years, and they had grown up to be pretty similar to each other. Their rage and loyalty, and all the other personal traits that made them who they were were completely the same.

Balin shook his head worriedly, and spoke with a throaty voice. "We won't be waiting out in the open, exposed to the fullest, to be hunted. We have children amongst us. _Children _Thorin, son of Thráin, children who have risked their lives for you without a second thought."

Thorin was fighting himself. At first, he looked angry. "They have all been but informed," he spat. "No one had promised them security." But then his stance loosened, his face looked desperate than ever. "_Balin_."

No one said a word for a respectable amount of time. But when Thorin spoke, his voice was all powerful and determined again. "We will keep going," he said. "We'll do as we have done till today. Trouble seem to be chasing us no matter what we do, so maybe that scum's path will cross ours as well. But till then, we will be in no search of him."

* * *

.oOo.

* * *

The Dwarrows were pretty happy to finally be freed from their cuffs. Bofur and Bimbur were wandering around, unlocking them carefully. The happiest of them all was Dwalin. Back in the Goblin tunnels, he had been the first one to separated from the group. As soon as Gandalf had come, Dwalin had hammered his chains and darted forward to save Fai. Since there was no way to unclock the cuffs, he had to keep wearing them till this very moment. When Bofur got rid of them eventually, Dwalin started a song so loud that the rest of them worried he might awaken Fai and Ori.

When Bofur headed towards Fai's bed, he wavered for a second for she was asleep. He finally decided to leave the makeshift key on her bedside. What he didn't know that was someone eyeing him intensely.

When Bofur moved away from her bed, Kili stood up oh so quiet, carefully looking around as if someone was after him. He took uneasy steps in Fai's direction. She was sleeping, the sunlight leaking through the cracks on the rooftop was washing her face. Her hair never looked this golden and that reminded him of his brother, so he smiled. As he got closer, he got a better view of her bruises and wounds. The air had become an issue again, and he hated that feeling. Her arms that had repeatedly pinched by Goblins were covered in bruises, and her lips were torn, painted in her blood. He remembered how she choked on her own blood lying on that torturing table.

He then slowly moved ahead and sat on her bed, so slow that it took him minutes. Her chest was going slowly up and down as she breathed in her sleep and Kili didn't know what he would do if she wakes up. He slowly leaned forward to take the key standing next to her, but when he did their faces got so close that he felt her breath in his ear. What made his heart suddenly skip a beat?

That was it, he couldn't do it. He withdrew at full steam with a full blush on his face, and got up on his feet only to toss into his brother.

"What are you doing?" Fili inquired then, his tone was highly amused that Kili didn't know if he should punch him, or blush even more instead.

"I was going to get rid of her cuffs." Kili retorted defensively, pushing a step back so that they can see each other properly.

"Why did you backed down then? She's still wearing 'em."

"What are you two bickering about?"

Fai's sleepy voice startled them. Fili held her gaze with a huge smile on his face, and placed his hands on Kili's shoulders. He then turned him around in her direction. The brown headed one instantly started talking without giving his brother the chance, but only to be interrupted back.

"I was about to lea-"

"My brother is going to free you from the cuffs. Bet you've head enough of them, aye?"

Fai couldn't tell what was going on but their facial expressions were priceless. Fili, standing with the cheekiest smile ever, and Kili, gazing her intensely. She had always liked that about him; the face he pulled when he was thinking, confused or uncertain about something. But it was different to be at the center of his glance than to admire it from afar.

In a heartbeat, Fili was gone and they were alone. Fai didn't know why it was so awkward between them again, or she didn't know why Kili was acting like a mental. He had been all protective and concerned about her down in the Goblin Town, but in that moment he was looking like he doesn't even want to see her face. It had been easy for Fai to forget about her _huge _crush when there were Wargs, Orcs, Trolls and Goblins around. But now that they were in a rather calmer place all the feels seemed to rush back into her, making her all uncomfortable around him again. So she didn't say anything as Kili sat beside her and hesitantly hold the cuff in her left hand.

She winced in pain when the cuff scraped the scars on her wrist. Kili instantly froze on spot, cursing himself in his head. "Sorry- I'm so sorry," he gasped. "I'll be done with it in a minute."

And he really was. When he flung the cuffs down aggressively, his sleeve got rolled up and Fai saw the same scars she had was encircling his wrists also. Without a word, she shiftlessly moved her wrists before him, and placed them onto his. Four wrists wearing bracelets out of blood rested together, as Kili's eyes got wider on her bold move.

"This is almost more annoying than the torture itself." Fai mumbled referring the scars, and for some reason she avoided his gaze. Her eyes were fixated on their wrists and her body was taken over by the feeling of his touch against her skin. "It stings all the time." _And you deserve it, _she scolded herself, _you are being a total fangirl in the middle of a life and death situation. _She was feeling stupid to the fullest, and didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, so after a few more minutes she slowly retracted her arms. She'd been thinking about how she acted around him and every little thing she had said or done since the first day, and they all seemed idiotic.

Kili hadn't said a word the whole time. And it was impossible to read his face, for he was still keeping the same, intense gaze of his. The wrinkle between his brows was deepening at times, but other than that there was nothing.

"Kili," she said, her voice was barely louder than a whisper. If she _really_ didn't need someone, she would have never spoken but considering her condition, she had no choice. "Can you.. Can you like- get me someone to clean my wounds? I know Oin already did, but they keep bleeding, so.."

The dark headed prince was lost in his own thoughts. He was so concentrated on caging his anger that it had paralyzed his talking function completely. Seeing her wounds all so closely had hit him harder than he thought. _She saved you, didn't she, _he ruminated. _You should have been able to protect her. _He didn't know with whom he was more angry with. The Goblins or himself? It was the stupidest thing ever, really, to constantly acting deranged around her. _And they say I don't take after my ancestors when it comes to some traits of the dwarvenkind, _he thought. _I __can happily share some of my protectiveness and anger. Apparently there's more than enough for us all.__  
_

When her voice finally pulled him out of his trance, he tried to smile to break the awkwardness, and nodded. "Alright, I'll go get Oin." And just like that, he left.

Looking around, it didn't take him long to see that Oin was absent. As he walked outside troubledly, he bumped into his brother for the second time that day. Except this time they were alone and Kili got some things to say.

"Do you remember how I told you about I loved having someone to protect?" he asked, not bothering to hide his dander.

The conversation had taken place between them in Bag End, Fili remembered. His brother had told him about how having someone that needs protection was making him feel useful. So instead of giving a reply Fili just nodded, encouraging his brother to keep talking.

"Well, I take it back. It sucks. I feel tired all the time."

That was when the fair headed one got filled with compassion. His younger brother was standing before him, his hands crossed against his chest, looking all furious. It reminded him of the times when he was a dwarfling, and how angry he had gotten when Dwalin eats his cookies. Barely restraining himself from a chuckle, Fili then spoke. "This is one of that rare situations that I don't get you at all."

_Of course he lied. _Fili knew him like the back of his hand and right at that time, he knew what his brother really needed. For Fili to _not to know. _So the older one kept what he figured out to himself, and decided to do so for quite a while more.

"I act deranged around _her_." Kili bursted. "But only when she is in danger or wounded. By Durin's beard, my twisted mind lets us to be friends as long as she's not injured. How stupid is that?"

Fili shot him a soothing look and tried to calm him down with his honeyed voice. "Stop being so harsh to yourself, brother. You know that it's in your nature."

Kili's burst got even wilder at his brother's remark. "So basically I am too young to grow a beard, but my youth is definitely enough to bear all those rage?"

_"_But it is_ your age_ that makes everything much more intense." Fili cooled him down one more time. Thinking about that maybe it was time for a little joke, he added with a sly grin. "Except your beard tho."

"_I swear to Mahal,_ don't push me." Kili groused."It's already hard enough to keep myself from punching things when I'm around her. Her scars overwhelm me so much that I almost showed a handful of hay down my throat back there. That, or beating my own chest in rage, you tell me which one would be more ridiculous."

Fili could no longer hold it inside. The image of his brother eating _Fai's bed _had blessed him with a hoot of laughter. It was so contagious that at some point, Fili heard his brother's laugh joining his musical as well. Two brothers were standing there cracking, one of them in utter joy. The other, laughing at himself in the hopes of it all to get easier in time.

* * *

.oOo.

* * *

The old barn was washed in moonlight this time. As the dwarrows was sleeping on hay, some of them were snoring loudly as always. The night was making everything harder and Fai almost got nauseous from all the toss and turn. Her muscles were still burning when she moves, but she didn't care for her mind was burning more intensely. It was the first night after what happened in Goblintown, so she'd already known that sleep wont be coming her way.

Studying the moon blinking from a crack on the rooftop, Fai sighed. A part of her felt happy, even felt proud of herself for not blowing the whistle to the Goblin King. But what she really felt was an earthquake right in the middle of her soul. It was surreal to be tortured, to be beaten, to be pinched and chained. The Middle Earth was relentless, and she once more thought that if she could really survive at all. Reading the book or watching the movies had done her no good so far, since everything was happening in split seconds, and lately nothing was going in accordance with neither of the universes.

She had been listening to someone else also toss in turn restlessly the whole time. She knew exactly who he was, and she knew what kept him awake.

The dark haired prince was no good friends with sleep that night, and it was unlikely of him. He lied still, gazing at the ceiling and thinking about whether it would be a good idea to join Nori, who was on watch outside. But something kept him lying and soon he was buried in his thoughts again. Thoughts that frequently passing by Fai and how she looked when she was sleeping that afternoon. He squeezed his eyes shut annoyedly, as if it would sweep the thoughts away.

"I know what you're thinking."

_What in the-?! _He almost fainted at the young woman's voice softly breaking the silence. It was all unexpected, and what she just said freaked Kili out. _Does she really? _He opened his mouth, in an attempt of saying something that would save him from the awkward situation, but her voice flew about the abandoned barn again.

"Come on, Ori. I know you're not sleeping as well. How could you anyway, after what we've been through?"

_Ori? _So Kili was off the hook. A few seconds later, he heard Ori's unsteady voice answering Fai's call.

"You're right." After a brief moment of silence, he continued. "Do you still suffer too, like, _so much_? I don't like feeling like this."

When Fai responded, Kili felt his heart sink due to the pain in her voice. "Yeah it does, my dear Ori. But we have to get better you know, by tomorrow we should be walking."

At first Ori nodded in the dark as an answer. It took him a full minute to realize that Fai didn't have the night vision of the Dwarvenkind, so he gave a real answer this time, putted into words. "I know. And Dori said we would be. But there's something that's much worse-"

"I know, the nightmares." Fai sighed in insight. _Another needle pinned onto Kili's heart._

Even though neither of them had fallen asleep, there was nothing but silence for a while. Just when Fai -_and Kili__- _was certain that that conversation had ended, Ori's voice raised again, this time folded in curiosity.

"Why did you endure it all? No one could blame you if you di-"

"You are the first family I have."

Kili was to feeling guilty for secretly listening to them, but he had no choice, he couldn't force himself to sleep now, could he? And after the turn their conversation had took, how could he not listen? Something inside him tensed up in jealousy, related with not being the one she revealed herself to, but he had no idea about it, not yet at least.

This time, it was Ori's turn to ache. Fai was surprised with herself for saying something this intimate, but everyone else was asleep and there was something about the torture that brought her and Ori closer. They were the only ones to put up with traditional Goblin torment, and it was traumatic enough for them to bond over.

"I thought you still don't remember anything." Ori was the first one to ask about her memory loss, since the beginning of their journey. Fai had been waiting for that moment to come, since falling from a tree and losing all memory would one day become a weak excuse to tag along. She had to give them more.

"See, there's nothing to remember." Fai whispered, she wished no one else to hear that for she wasn't actually lying. Back on Earth, she really had nothing or no one to remember and it was her weakest spot. "I decided to stay among your company even after I remembered some parts about my past, because I have no one. To put it more correctly, I decided to be with you guys _especially _after remembering. You guys are family to me, Ori. I don't know if you see me one as well, but that's how I feel."

And how much she meant those words scared her. For the second time that day, she had this lump in her throat. After Fili's words about sisters, she hadn't stopped thinking about it. She couldn't recall the exact time they stopped being fictional characters to her and became family, but they really were. When it was all fun and games, they were still kind of two dimensional to her, she knew what they would say or how would they react. But after fighting shoulder to shoulder, camping, hiking and eating together, sharing things and caring for each other she was certain that they had all become _real. _Their reactions and words were out of her control. And all of them with all of their traits, meant so much to her. For the first time in her life she had this kind of relationship with someone

"You are." Ori mumbled all sentimental. "A Dwarf never forgets loyalty and honour. I may be too young for these kind of words, but I'm a Dwarf after all."

Hearing about Fai's mysterious past excited Kili, even though she hand't said much. He tried to telephatically manipulate Ori into asking further questions, yet it didn't happen. He wore the intense gaze of his again, and kept with overhearing.

"This is all between us now, Ori, alright?"

_Yeah, us three, _smiled Kili, while Ori nodded again and mumbled that it was alright. Some more quiet time had passed when she spoke again. From her voice, it could be told that she was smiling.

"Ori," she started straightening her back a little. "How do you wish good night in Khuzdul?"

That Ori could answer. "Lomil ghelekh." he smiled back, uttering the word just right.

"Lomil ghelekh." Fai tried clumsily. Her voice was so soft for the rough Dwarven accent that Kili had almost let a chuckle out.

* * *

**E/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Review if you have anything to say/ask. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey my people! Hope you're doing alright, because I'm not so good, hence the chapter is been posted a bit before its time. And I'm warning you before hand, it's shorter than usual and I'm not happy about it. But I need to figure some things out about my life, and it will take me around two weeks. In the mean time, I didn't want to keep you waiting so here you have the one I've been trying to make longer.. It's been waiting for days, and just when I get inspired, all my life collapsed on me, so.. See you soon, (hope sooner than I've planned!)**

**In the mean time, please enjoy this, and your lives.**

**Thank you for the reviews, promise I'll reply to each and everyone of you.**

******Sorry again.**

* * *

.oOo.

* * *

_Cold. Shivering cold and quiet. So quiet that you can hear your own heartbeats. The way your chest goes up and down as you breathe. The way your clothes swhish at your slightest movement. Total darkness, except for a couple of blinking street lights way ahead of you. Your sight is narrow, it's impossible to see what's further. You take a step, in doubts of whether you moved any further for your senses are blinded by darkness. _

_You have this feeling of being followed by someone. You quicken your steps. It's as if you're standing still and the darkness moves around you. The street lights have gotten a little bit closer as you moved, yet they are not providing enough light for you to see where you're going. You hear nothing. You see nothing. Even so your suspicion grows stronger, someone is definitely after you._

_You feel paranoid._

_The ground slips beneath your feet as if you were on a treadmill. You are sure that the bridge in front of you wasn't there a nanosecond ago, and how is that even possible? You consider why you were fond of bridges before, for the one lies in front of you now looks creepy as fuck. You wonder if that's the Golden Gate, as you gaze upon it's ginger pillars rising above you. You feel restless._

_The bridge is slightly illuminated with street lights that spread a raw, yellow light. Normally the yellow light soothes you. You find something warm, something calming about it. Not this time though, no. It washes everything with a worrisome atmosphere. Suddenly, you feel the urge to run. As the soles of your feet beat the ground one after another, everything gets worse. The wind drills your ears and it feels like you are running towards your worst fear. You don't know what awaits, yet, the feeling is consuming you._

_Nowhere is safe. If you go back you'll run towards who follows you. If you keep running, there awaits your personal hell. So you stop right there, wishing that your stalker would stop as well. The warmth coating your arm alarms you, when you touch it your hand gets wet with blood. You curse through the dark._

_When you hear the footsteps, you are halfway through the bridge. There is no point in running from it anymore, so you give up even though you are not ready to face what comes after you. As the footsteps come closer you see a silhouette walking towards you. It's a woman about your height. Her hand squeezes her upper arm, her face still out of your sight._

_Does the light shines upon her golden hair?_

_You gulp, but at the same time you feel the anger building up inside you. For some reason, you are inflamed. She keeps walking towards you without a rush, but there is something sinister about the way she looks. When she lifts her head, you see the evil gleam in her light grey eyes._

_No, it can not be._

_She stops walking when the distance between you two lets you see her face completely. Her serpentine smile startles something within you, is it possible to be freaked out and be mad as hell at the same time?_

_She looks just like you._

_She_ is _you._

_You open your mouth to scream but your voice is out of your reach._ _She_ _start running towards you. Her arms reached forward to catch you. You are like a statue of yourself, quiet and motionless. The blood in your veins cascades underneath your skin, yet you are as cold as marble. The gap between you shrinks rapidly, you still can't scream.__  
_

_She screams instead of you. Laughs hysterically, locks her hands on your upper arms. Her nails sink deep into your skin. You look at her face,_ your _face actually, and it looks creepy. You never thought that you could look like _that. _The features of her_ (-your)_ face looks rough and devilish.__ She still screams in your face and starts to push you, forcing you to walk backwards. You feel the cold of the metal barriers pushing against the middle of your back. _

_That's it, you think._

_And she makes sure that is really it, and with one last push, your feet leaves the ground. You roll on your back and within a second, you are floating in the air._

_Her laughter dies down as you keep falling, you feel enraged. You have promised yourself before, for thousand times really, that you would never let her kill you again._

_Here you are though, falling free at full speed._

_You try to prepare yourself for the collision, the waves of the ocean are pretty audible now._

_Then-_

_It hits you as hard as concrete._

* * *

.oOo.

* * *

When Fai's sharp gasp pierced the air, she instantly covered her mouth with her own hand. She was short on breath, but not terrified for it was not the first time she had seen that nightmare. She stood still for a minute to figure out if her gasp had awoken anyone. There was nothing other than the snorings, so it was all fine. _Dammit, _Fai thought, feeling just as angry as she was in the dream. _I have travelled through universes, and this dream keeps hunting me.__  
_

Fortunately, her muscles had gotten enough strength to carry her around. Fai slowly gathered herself up from the pile of hay she had been buried into. For someone in her condition, she was pretty good at skipping through the field of sleeping Dwarrows. If it was still dark, she definitely would stepped on someone's feet or something, but the dawn was about to break and the room was illuminated in various tones of blue. She took a little break by the bed of one certain Dwarf, and looked at him all she wanted, for there was no one to see her. He was lying on his back and at one stage of the night, he had kicked his cloak off of him. It was the first time in a while that Fai saw his features being this soft. The wrinkle in between his brows had disappeared and the corners of his lips were surprisingly curled upwards. He was unarmed. There weren't any belts, knives, swords attached to him, and he wasn't wearing his coat. With only his blue robe on, Fai could see the real shape of his body.

Remembering the time they had shared a cloak back in the mountainside, she blushed. They had lied so close together, their bodies standing flush against each other. _I really need to stop doing this, _Fai thought, and moved away immediately. Without stopping one more time, she made it to the door and tried her best to open it without making any noise.

The fresh air brushing her face was feeling like heaven and she took a deep breath, enjoying every molecule. By the cold blue tone of the sky, she could tell that the sun was about to rise. It always surprised her how one can differentiate between the dawn and the afternoon. The tones coloring the sky right before the sun was born and died were so similar to each other, but somehow you always knew. Fai liked the dawn and she had seen many, for sleep was something she wasn't very fond of back on Earth. She remembered all the nights she went through, with countless songs, books and fanfictions. Her favorite thing was to embrace the sunset with one last cigarette, then eventually, to go to sleep. She would every night, open the window and lean out halfway through before lighting the cigarette. The cold breeze caressing her face as she inhaled the poisonous smoke was carved in her mind, and she could remember perfectly how she had watched the sun come up.

The moment reminded her of that nights. Except, this time she was out in the nature with 13 Dwarrows, a Hobbit, and a Wizard. She was _in the story _that had accompanied her every night till she finally fell asleep.

As Fai walked forward, the tiny silhouette of Bilbo caught her attention. He was sitting on a rock and gazing upon the horizon as the sky started to embrace the many tones of crimson.

"I didn't know you take watches."

Bilbo startled at her sudden call, but collected himself pretty quick. "Well, I don't, actually. I lost sleep over my thoughts and decided to keep Nori company. After a while we figured this place is safe enough, and I sent him off to sleep for an hour."

The way he held onto his sword made clear that he stayed on alert for any little glowing that'd tell him there were Orcs nearby. A little Hobbit with a little sword. Fai smiled at the courage Bilbo slowly gaining. So she sat by his side on the rock, and fixated her eyes upon the horizon just like him.

"You should be well aware of the fact that resting is crucial for you, just like Oin said."

"Well, you tell that to my wicked mind then."

Both of them sighed, as Bilbo shook his head in understanding. Considering how long he was going to live, he wasn't really _old _back then but worry made him look older than he was. He was terrified over the incident of the Goblin Tunnels. Seeing the aftermath of the torture had hit Bilbo. He hadn't seen Fai and Ori's situation first hand, but it all was there. It was one of the many articles of the contract he had signed under, and witnessing as they came true made everything more real than it already was. He tried to shoo the thoughts away, and turned to the young woman sitting right beside her.

"If we were back in Shire, I could make some chamomile tea, then we both'd be sleeping like Dwarflings."

Fai chuckled at his words and wondered what would it be like to live in the Shire. The green fields and happy faces of the place came before her eyes. "If we were back in Shire.." she mumbled. "It all feels so far away, as if it's been ages."

There wasn't a single soul on Arda that could understand better what she meant. Thinking about his books, his armchair, his pantry, and his garden, Bilbo slowly nodded. As if it never happened. He had never missed anything more. He had actually, never missed anything before. The comfort of his home and a couple of fellows he could put up with were always haunting him. He had never regretted the journey, no, he wasn't sorry. He was just afraid that he might never find peace again.

"I always thought of Arda as a safe place, you know." he remarked. "Or rather, I have never thought about it at all. Arda as I know was consisted of Shire. I have never bothered myself with further. And when I did, I couldn't imagine any of the dangers we have encountered so far. Now that I know there's much more to it, I'm afraid I would never be as peaceful as I was before this journey."

Fai spoke without breaking her gaze on the horizon. "I think none of us will be the same, we all change day by day." Her voice was tinted in pain.

With all the cuts and bruises on her, she looked like someone new. Bilbo remembered how timid she looked back in Bag End, when Gandalf had first brought her. No one could ever guessed that she would fight with Wargs and Trolls or endure the torture. The Hobbit then felt closer to her as his compassion grew stronger, both being outsiders of the company. He pulled his pipe out of his pocket and lit it.

The sun made an appearance, brightening the palette of all the tones of red and crimson. Without a word, Bilbo passed the pipe onto Fai and she couldn't be happier. Being on Middle-Earth, there was no way she could find a Camel Soft and it had been annoying her for days. Feeling a tad dizzy by the first draw on an empty stomach, she smiled. As she exhaled, Bilbo by her side started humming a song, his eyes admiring the sunrise.

_The Road goes ever on and on  
__Down from the door where it began.  
__Now far ahead the Road has gone,  
__And I must follow, if I can,  
__Pursuing it with weary feet,  
__Until it joins some larger way,  
__Where many paths and errands meet.  
__And whither then? I cannot say._

* * *

.oOo.

* * *

"I wish we still had the ponies.." Bombur complained as he shouldered his pack of food and pots. It had been an hour since the sunset and since they had spent the entire day in the old barn, Thorin decided that it was time to move even if the darkness was dawned upon them. He wasn't patient enough to wait another night.

Their day had been rather uneventful. Oin had treated Ori and Fai's muscle pain with heated rocks. It would speed up their blood flow, he had claimed, and it would make the burning vanish quicker. A few hours later, Fai had happily realized that Oin was right and the pain had definitely boiled down to a more sufferable degree. She had even gotten to exercise a bit, just enough to remain capable of using her knives. Even though her sword had been given back to her by Dwalin, who had made sure of retrieving every weapon from the filthy Goblin Tunnels, it was still too early to use that.

They all nodded and hummed again on Bombur's notion and wended their way. Fai was walking with Fili and Kili, who were really grumpy about their uncle's impatient decision. An hour later the moon took its place on the night sky, lightening their path. Even though it helped a lot, remaining on the right track in the night was harder than Fai had thought. The majority of the company was not happy and some cranky complaints was windind up among them.

"Clam your gobs," Thorin ordered, when he had finally fed up with their snarls. "And keep walking. The Durin's Crown is shining upon us!"

"The Durin's Crown?" Bilbo and Fai whispered in unison, they looked at the sky, thinking if he meant the moon itself even though there was anything about it that looks like a crown.

"A constellation," Fili answered, being the best student of Balin. "Look, it's right there."

He pointed to it and drew an imaginary path between the stars to make Bilbo and Fai understand better. "Wonderful." Fai smiled, the pieces of the constellation were really arranged in the shape of a crown. The idea of having a crown upon them caught her immediately, it was so meaningful.

Having a clear view of the Durin's Crown seemed to soothe the Dwarrows as they didn't grumble any further. Pricking up their ears for any sign of danger, they kept walking quietly after Thorin. Gandalf's staff were competing against the moonlight as it lightened their path more. He wasn't looking happy.

A chapstick was the number-one item of Fai's wishlist. Dried up and covered in cracks, she was sick of her lips bleeding when she utters a word that would stretch them. Her blood had been the base element of her diet as she sucked on her lips for the 5th time that day. Keeping up among others, she sulked but let no complaints out.

Fai didn't know when Kili and her started to walk side by side, for he was on the other side of Fili before. She looked around and saw Fili then, walking with Dwalin ahead of them, seemingly discussing something important. When the hell did he flee? As they paced together, Kili asked a question out of the blue that made her stop for a moment in surprisal.

"Do you remember anything?"

Of all the times he could ask this question, why now, Fai thought. Why in the awkwardest phase between us, when we can't even chitchat. Also, it was the first time that day he formed a sentence containing more than two words. He had kind of ignored her the whole day. She frowned and held his gaze, making his cheeks redden a bit.

"Sorry, I have cut to the chase pretty quickly now, haven't I?"

_Wow, even more words, _Fai thought. _My death might be around the corner, oh boy, why else would you suddenly be talking to me? _Realizing that her silence was making the situation more awkward, she tried to buy herself some time.

"Yeah, I think... Not that it's unexpected of you. You're the impatient one, aren't you?"

His remark made Kili smile, even though he hadn't forget about his question. "I really am, yeah. Fili is annoyingly patient that he could make a sloth jealous, even."

_Do sloths really exist on Middle-Earth? Well, apparently pugs do, so why not.._

"I'm just curious, you know. Don't you remember anything about your life after all these time? Even a tiny fracture of it?" Kili wanted her to talk. To open up, like she did to Ori. He wanted to _talk _to her, something they couldn't really accomplish to this day. He was trying his best to not freak out over her bloody lips and bruised body, so she should at least give him something in return. Or so he thought.

"Uhm, not really, no." she mumbled. The timing couldn't be worse! How could she talk to her about it, when they are surrounded with the company. Maybe she could talk to him without actually revealing anything, like she did with Ori, but that wasn't possible. She didn't want anyone to hear, for there would only be more questions. And to be honest, she didn't know how would Gandalf react to her giving the slightest information about herself.

There was one more thing though. She couldn't handle it if Kili categorized himself as _family. _Not that she knew what a family really is, although she was a hundred percent sure that her feelings towards him could not be considered sisterly. Besides her formal, yet ignorant crush on him back on Earth, she had lately begun to develop a brand new thing for him. It was proceeding in a slower phase, but by all means it was something else, something _real_. He was standing right in front of her with all of his flaws and quirks, and the better she got to know him, even more panickier she became.

Such thing could get you killed in Middle-Earth. Such distraction, such a strong crush.

Even though she tried to deny it, it was becoming something more than just a crush.

On the other hand, Kili looked _hurt. _Because he was, really, he was hurt that she lied. Haven't he heard what she had said the other night? Hadn't she revealed some things about her, in the dead of night? So why wasn't she now? He couldn't find enough strength in him to snap, he couldn't even act all bad-tempered like he always did. He just nodded quietly, then mumbled.

"Oh. It's alright then..."

And no more words came out.

Fai definitely knew she did something wrong, and it was the first time she saw him react in such strange way. He never looked this gloomy before. Her heart sinking, she tried to engage in some small talk with him. But only to be shut down by him giving couple of disinterested mumbles as answers. She shook her head in confusion and said no more. It wasn't the time or place to push him and she honestly didn't want to. Most of the time, it was impossible to read him. A twinge coiled itself up in the bottom of her stomach, denying that it was about him, Fai kept on walking.

* * *

.oOo.

* * *

**E/N: Hope this actually is better than I think. I like the nightmare part best.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey there! I am back again with a properly long chapter. But here's a warning, I TYPED THIS ALL FROM MY CELL PHONE for my laptop is out of my reach. Even though I did my best to avoid typos, a phone is a phone and sorry for the possible mistakes. :/**

**This chapter is totally made up, it's neither from the bookverse, nor the movieverse. Still, the base definitely belongs to Tolkien, I just made some research and used a totally valid background. I don't wanna spoil it, but when you read further and see what I mean, you can use lotr wikia to learn more about it.**

**by the way, things are better for me now and thank you for being there. :3 It's the first chapter in a while and I'd like to know what do you think about it. So rewievs would be much appreciated. :)**

* * *

Since the night they had taken their leave from the abandoned barn, the company had been on the road for both day and night. It was hard to remember the last time they had slept for more than a few hours, and eating had become an on-the-go activity. Most of the food Elrond had given was lost in the Goblin Tunnels, so they were pretty much up for anything they came across.

A week on the road had worn each of them out, even Gandalf was sighing like an old Human every now and then. But to object would be in vain, for Thorin's decision wasn't made out of mind. They had been traveling out in the flatland all exposed, without a single tree to cover them. It was one of the most dangerous parts of their route, and in their case, pacing at night was even safer.

The wind was making eveything feel ten times worse. Its scourging strokes were like blades, piercing their cheeks and penetrating through their cloaks. Not a single member of the company could remember what was it like to not shiver, and Fai in particular couldn't recall how walking properly felt like. Constantly shaken and blundered by the strong windstorm, she and Bilbo had to be protected by a couple of sturdy Dwarrows. Technically, Bombur, Dwalin and Gloin were acting as a shield around her.

It had been five days since the younger heir had suddenly grown fonder of the idea of not talking to her, and still Fai had no idea about what caused it. Apart from a couple of unwilling mumbles every now and then, he hadn't said a word. After a while Fai lost the chance to invesgate further, for the wind was constantly trying to sweep her off of her feet. Surrounded by a shield out of three Dwarrows, she couldn't go to Kili's side and force the words out of him anyways.

Her lips were pursed all the time, even the slightest attempt to talk was enough to swallow a mouthful of dirt, _damn, how much did she hate that stupid storm._ The cold was making her muscles even sorer, but she was glad to have some pain to keep her mind busy, instead of thinking about the most complicated Dwarf, ever. She also had some other exhausting thoughts creeping in her head, and they were all eating her up from the inside.

Her story. After Ori, Kili also had gotten curious about her background. Falling from a tree and losing her memory started to seem like a poor setup and it was making her nervous at all times. The next time someone question her memory or where she came from, she had to give a better answer. Lying seemed inevitable but Fai wanted to keep it on a minimum wage, for she was growing closer to the company more and more each day. Hiding things was bad enough, thinking about the intensity of guilt coming from faking a story, Fai sulked.

Then there was the fear. Consuming, irrepressable fear. Knowing what lies ahead, she was spending all her energy to keep herself calm. For ignorance was bliss, most of the Dwarrows were grumpy, yet undoubtedly relieved; thinking that the Goblintown was the worse and it was already behind them. Till Smaug, they thought, they would be rather safe. With the old and deceitful memories of the path they follow, they couldn't even imagine the possible dangers waiting for them. Even the most cautious ones, like Balin, Dwalin and Thorin; had no idea about the darkness dwelling on Arda. Fai squeezed her eyes shut for a second and tried to shoo away the image of Mirkwood, the spiders, and worst of all; Azog the Defiler. After her momentarily pause, she quickly kept up with her protectors.

She had memorized the backs of each member of her Dwarven-shield; Bombur, Dwalin and Gloin. The way they braided their hair, the way their cloaks dangled down from their shoulders and the way they prefer to carry their weapons on their backs. She knew it all. In fact, it was all Fai had seen for the past couple of days so unconsciously, it all got craved in her mind. If she were given a paper, she could even draw the engravings on Dwalin's axes.

She wanted silence, or to hear something besides the howling wind. She never thought that she would one day dream of a deep, dark cave but there she was, longing for the solitude and silence it offered. Remembering the cave they took shelter after coming across the Thundergiants and how she had hoped to reunite with the rest of the company, she got filled by mixed emotions. It was the first time she had feel like she had family, but it was also the night they got ambushed by the Goblins.

_He hugged you that night, _she thought. Despite the freezing weather, she could feel the ghost of their embrace warming her body.

She almost headbutted Dwalin's back when she tripped on a tip of a rock buried on the ground. Barely restraining herself from the fall, she felt her ears burning with anger. _What is wrong with you you moron,_ she scolded herself,_ just focus on the damn road. Seems like the last thing that deranged little Dwarf wants is to talk to you, and you need to keep your thoughts away from him._

* * *

_.oOo._

* * *

It had been only an hour since Gandalf went for some exploring around the whereabouts, but the company could have sworn that he used some kind of sorcery to vanish into thin air. Despite how wide their sight was, the grey Wizard was nowhere to be seen.

After one more hour of quietly -quiet, because of the annoying wind had finally abandoned them- pacing, Fai heard Dwalin's peaceless voice rear in front of her.

"Ready your weapons!" he roared. "Someone's approaching."

She saw shadows way ahead of them when she resqued her vision from the bald top of Dwalin's head. The shadows resembled of a group of people, pressumably running or walking real fast. They were far enough to look barely taller than a few centimeters.

"What do we do?" Nori inquired, looking back and forth constantly, trying to percieve whether they should move ahead or not.

"There is nothing to do," Thorin commanded, when he turned his face to them Fai saw the trouble that had taken over his eyes. "No point in turning back, they would catch upon us anyway. We are greater in the number and undoubtedly move slower."

"I said _ready your weapons!_" Dwalin grumbled, looking furiously over the befuddled company. They didn't need to be told twice though, in a blink of an eye, the sound of metal brushing against the scabbards filled the air. Swords were pointed forward, the axes were gripped tightly and Fai heard the clicking of Kili's tensed bow.

She saw the whites of her knuckles holding her sword in a death grip as moonlight blazed upon her Elven sword.

"They are no Orcs." looking at the normal colour of his little sword, Bilbo gave a sound to the thoughts in Fai's head. He poked the air with his weapon to give company a better sight of it. "Look."

Having no clue about the mysterious shadows coming closer each minute, Fai felt a tiny bit of relief. At that moment, the last thing she would like to fight against was Orcs. Seemed like her relief was shared by the company, for their faces didn't look that dark as they did before.

"Doesn't mean they are no danger to us." Thorin spat, as he started stomping forward. "Move."

So they did. Moving forward, Fai was sure that the shadows were definitely coming for them, as they got even quicker after a while. "They also had seen us," she whisper, and she saw the confirming nod Balin gave. Thinking at full steam, she had no idea about who or what would they be. She forced her brain to remember every race and nation in the books. She was certain that this scene is nonexistent in the book and the movies so it made her even more nervous. It must be one of the changes she had somehow caused. _Dammit__,_ she bit her lower lip, immediately causing the blood beading around the wound_ , this is no good._

At first, they moved with an angle to see if the shadows would follow. A couple minutes later they saw the silhouettes changing their routes as well. With Thorin and Dwalin on the frontmost, the company quickened their steps to be done with what's ahead as soon as possible.

"Are you alright?"

Fai didn't know how these Dwarves do that, but they never ceased to freak her out with sudden appearences. She had no idea about when Fili kept his guard up beside her but instead of scolding, she just nodded.

"Do you remember the steps Elrond taught? Not that I will let you fight one-on-one though."

The worry in his voice made Fai angry, for she could hardly deal with her own stress. "Seriously, Fili, you don't have to do this. Go, protect your brother." she protested, helding the gaze of the blond heir standing right beside her.

"For the last time Fai, I'm not doing this out of burden. And I swear to Mahal, I will be deeply offended the next time you deny what you are to me."

His voice was impatient and a bit tempered. She wasn't expecting the outburst, so with her wide opened eyes she just nodded. A few more steps later, Fili spoke again, this time with a cheeky voice. "Also," he grinned, leaning to her ear with a lower tone "my brother is already _here _for me to protect." Cocking his head towards her left, he secretly winked.

This time she startled for real. Kili was standing right beside her like a marble statue, and their eyes didn't meet for the dark headed prince was determined to look forward instead. So he was still mad at her. Fai felt something twisting in the pit of her stomach.

It took the silhouettes around twenty minutes to come close enough. After a while, the company had stopped and take their stances for the gang was clearly running towards them with bad intentions. They were a bunch of men with faces shadowed by their capes. Without a doubt, they were taller than the members of the company but their gestures weren't as balanced as Men's would be. They must be a couple of bandits, probably willing to rob them.

"Stop!" their leader shouted across with a rough accent. It was meaningless though, for the company was already immobile. Five wild men aligned in front of them threateningly. They were now just a couple feet away and by the help of full moon, Fai could see how they looked.

They had long, matted hair and beards intertwined, leaving nothing else but pairs of eyes to see. Their brows were furrowed and the expression on their faces were nothing but vicious. The language they used while speaking to each other was strange to the company's ears.

"Weapons down," their leader ordered. "And give us what you carry."

Thorin laughed condescendingly, and took a step forward. He was acting like the height difference was no trouble in his eyes. What he knew about ill-natured people was that if you show any sign of weakness, they would get worse. Not breaking the gaze between him and the gang leader, he held onto his sword even tighter.

"We are outnumbered, but you are weaker than us. Give us what we want, so we don't have to wash our blades with your worthless Dwarven blood."

His insult sparked Dwalin, as he growled something in Khuzdul inaudibly and darted forward, leaving Fai exposed to the eyes of the gang. She felt Fili and Kili getting immediately closer to her but it wasn't enough to hide her. Something was not right, for Dwalin had stopped halfway through. He was stumped by the wild men's reaction; a complete _nothing_. The Gang was paying attention to only one thing. Their eyes were nailed on _only one thing. _If they were looking vicious before, then there was no word to describe the expression on their faces when they noticed _that thing. _

That thing-

Fai.

"Chief." the man on the Leader's right spat out, pointing Fai with his thick, dirty index finger. "The woman. _Calenardhonen_!" His voice was shaky with rage.

Calenardhon, Fai tried to remember. Thinking wasn't easy when she was as frightened as she was then. But being the loyal reader she was, she somehow managed to pull the words out of the folds of her mind. It was what Rohan once called. The word _Rohan _wasn't in use by the time they were in. Linking the word with the hatred in their voice was much more easier, for she had been busy with revisioning all the books in her head for the past hour.

_Dunlendings_.

The Wildmen of Dunland. Driven away from their lands by Eorl, the Rohirrim King who earned their bitter hatred and enmity. They were known by this deep hatred towards Rohirrim and Fai remembered The Lord of the Rings, and how Sauron used their anger in his favor. Two questions were still dwelling on Fai's mind: What were they doing far from their land, and why were they looking at Fai like she was Eorl herself.

Then, it struck her.

_The people of Rohan were tall, fair, pale, and mostly had blue eyes and blond hair which they wore long and braided._

Her golden hair was shining bright under the moonlight.

She gulped in fear as she tried to work out the possibility in her head. She was blonde indeed, and in the dark, her grey eyes could easily be mistaken for electric blue. but what about her height? She was either an inch taller or as tall as Kili, the tallest Dwarf of the company.

"Not a woman." their Leader bursted. "The filth is not of full age." She thought his anger was so intense that it was making the air heavy around him. It was weird to be in the center of all the wild hatred. No one had ever looked at her the way those men did before. She shivered under her cloak and felt Fili's hood brushing against her, as Kili to her left looked like he could shoot out the arrow he was keeping ready in any minute now. She didn't know if the company had figured out what was going on. Had they any knowledge on the Dunlendings?

"Give us the girl and be on your way." the Leader hissed, stepping forward.

"You wish." Kili bellowed and all hell broke lose. Fai heard the arrow he had shot splitting the air in two. Yet, it couldn't find its place as the Dunlending leader protected himself with his shield. Kili immediately mounted another one but Fai couldn't tell where he shot him for the Dwarrows formed a tight circle around her. She knew if the circle were to give way, the Wildmen of the Dunland would kill her in a blink of an eye.

She could see the heads of the Dunlandings, for they are much taller then the Dwarrows. They were really good at fighting. Even though they were outnumbered, they were defending themselves succesfully, not a single one of them had fallen. The battlecries echoed in the air, along with the sound of axes crashing against shields and swords.

She felt a hand gripping her wrist tightly, so thight that she winced in pain for his fist was clenched around her wound from the cuffs.

"Come, we'll shift away." Kili whispered as he tugged her arm, gesturing her towards the tiny gap between Bofur and Oin's legs. Fai pulled the cape of her cloak over her golden hair and they got onto their knees. They had just crawled out of the circle when she bit her tongue to held back her scream over the head of a Dunlanding falling right beside her. Trying not to look at it, she kept crawling forward.

One man down.

"She's running!" screamed one of the men, yet he couldn't manage to overcome the barrier of the Dwarrows. Looking back for a second, she saw Bilbo trying to stab the wild men in their knees.

"Run!" Kili shouted in unison with the rest of the company, and got onto his feet, quickly finding her hand and pulling her up in hurry. She didn't know how far they had gotten when the sharp pain in her upper leg stopped the time.

"_Son of a-_"

Her curse dissolved into a scream and she saw the worry in Kili's eyes. Without having time to linger, they had to keep running but with that leg, her pace had fairly slowed down. She was falling behind. Feeling the cold metal buried deep down on her skin, she couldn't dare to look at it. She was now literally dragged by Kili, who was running a few steps further. Every step was a nightmare, as her muscles tensed and loosened, she felt the knife penetrating her leg even further. Just a quick glance over her cloak was enough for her to see the crimson colour of the blood invading the fabric.

Lately, she had seen of her own blood much more than she would like to.

Fai squeezed the brown headed Dwarf's hand in pain as he forced her to run faster. How the Dunlanding had managed to throw a knife that far, she wondered. Kili turned his head to held her gaze for a second, and after ignoring her for almost a week, it was the first time he sounded compassionate.

"_I know_." he begged, his glance was so intense that despite all the rush, she felt she had missed that. "Just keep running. It will be over soon."

There they were in another life and death situation and there Fai was, melting over his affection. She got so furious with herself that she wanted to pull the knife out, only to stab herself once more. Something was definitely wrong with her. Realizing in the middle of a battle how much she had missed talking to him could not be considered normal in any way. And there was one more thing; it was terrible that it always costed her a fatal wound to have his attention.

Running faster made her sight went dark out of pain, she was nearly unconscious. She couldn't tell where were they headed anymore, she just focused on putting a foot in front of the other. After a while she felt most of her weight getting supported by Kili. He was constantly mumbling things every now and then to relieve her, but Fai was hearing none of it.

She felt her vision coming back when Kili seated her on the ground and her back met the cold surface of a rock. How far they had come? Where were they and how was the others? _Where_ was the others? Fai knew none. Her right leg was laid straight on the soil while she had to keep the other one bent, for the knife was still in its place. Kili knelt right beside her and tucked her hair behind her ear. With her pale face, scattered hair and the laces of her cloak nearly untied, she was a complete mess.

"Get it out, Kili. Please get that thing out!"

Her begging voice made Kili's heart sink, he could imagine the amount of pain she was in. Also, he was angry again. Angry at all the nonsense that happened to her. What on Arda could five wild men want from her? What would they had to do with her, did they know her? And why did she, _for the sake of the migthy Mahal_, why did she have to always, _always_ get hurt? One might think that thirteen Dwarrows would be more than enough to protect a girl, but no, Fai was always ending up injured._  
_

"If there was a way to go back to the night I came to you in Rivendell, I swear, Fai, I would be begging for you to stay there."

Fai opened her eyes to meet his gaze and surprised at how close his face was standing in front of hers. Trying not to blush she tried to straighten her back a little, only to wince in pain. She was panting, wanted the knife out more than anything. But she figured Kili could never bear to pull the knife out.

"Do you know why those man wanted me?" she asked, trying to get her mind away from the knife. Her voice was making clear that _she _knew and Kili shook his head in surprise. He was thinking that it would remain a mistery forever, and even if she knew, he thought she would never tell. She wasn't fond of telling him things.

"They were the Wildmen of the Dunland. Do you know anything about them?" she asked again, looking right into his eyes. He was having hard time focusing on her words because of the pain in her voice. After figuring what he had been asked, he answered with a shy smile.

"I remember Balin mentioning them once or twice, but.."

Fai chuckled at his reaction and gave him a little poke on his shoulder. "You were the worst student of his, weren't you?"

His smile got wider. He didn't know how she had him smiling at her, where did all his anger go? For five days, he had done his best to ignore her. He took a beating when she lied to him, and he didn't understand why she did, or why he cared so much. Staying away from her had been hard, but undoubtedly relieving. He didn't have to see her wounds up close, thus he didn't have to deal with the mixed emotions they brought. Also, being angry with her was easier than what he was feeling now; a constant, inexplicable urge to make her feel better. To take away her pain. To make her laugh. _To make her open up._

Unaware of the thoughts haunting him, Fai started to explain. "They had driven away from their home by a king named Eorl. He was the king of the _Roh_- uhm.. Calenardhon. So they hate him and all of his Kin. They thought I was one of them, cause see, I have blond hair. _They _have blond hair. And blue eyes."

"Your eyes are silver." Kili interrupted, and immediately turned bright red by revealing how much he had paid attention to the color of her eyes. "I mean.. Aren't they gray or something?"

His attempt of faking a careless attitude was not enough the let him off the hook, for Fai caught on the hint instantly. But seeing how shy he suddenly got, she decided to let that one slip by. "Yeah, but they probably couldn't tell that in the dark. So, they wanted to kill me. Well, maybe a bit torture first."

Kili clenched his fists in anger and tried to look away from the knife buried in her leg. He had to keep a lid on his temper, it was one of the rare moments they could talk properly, and he didn't want to ruin it. Seriously though, why was it so hard for them to talk? Since he met her, they were either fighting with each other or running from the danger. Fixating his eyes on hers, he then sighed.

"So, you aren't from Calenardhon. At least now I know one thing about you."

_Are you kidding me_, Fai thought. After a week of not caring the slightest about her, was he really doing that? "What is wrong with you Kili?" she huffed. "I know something is really bugging you." She couldn't hold it in any longer for it had been one weird, frustrating week. What was it that he wanted from her, why his behaviour was this unbalanced all the time? A moment he was carrying her in his arms, doing more than he should to protect her and then there he was the other moment, acting as if even the rocks on the road were more interesting than her.

"Why did you lie to me?" he backfired, sounding just as angry as her. But even before all of the words had left his mouth, he got _mortified_. He didn't mean to say those words out loud, even though they had been basically eating him alive. He should never have said that. Rapidly shaking his head from sides to sides in disbelieve, he tried to cover himself up but Fai interrupted.

"What do you mean _lying_?" She said, uttering the words very slowly, nearly spelling them out in rage. "How do you know I lied, and if I did, when did I? Kili, you barely even talk to me."

There was a hint of pain in her voice, but Kili couldn't dare to address it to their not talking, for there was a damn knife in her leg. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder if. Standing up, he took a few steps back and started walking back and forth. There was no way around it, no, he couldn't thought of anything that would save him. Why did he have to burst out and make things even weirder between them? And there blew up their decent conversation, burning in flames and turning into a fight as always. Was there really no way for them to get along?

Knowing he must eventually give an answer, he cut his pacing short and went back to Fai. Her face looked paler than before, so in that moment nothing else mattered. He sat his legs crossed beside her, parallel to her streched out leg. Sighing troubledly, he talked, this time with a defeated voice, his eyes avoided hers.

"I heard you in talking to Ori in the abandoned barn that night."

_"You what_?" she squeaked with her eyes twice the size. Kili immediately raised his arms, palms facing Fai as he wanted to defend himself.

"Don't blame me, okay, I just wasn't sleeping! What was I supposed to do then, punch myself to sleep? I have never intended to eavesdrop, you were loud enough for me to hear. You told Ori how you felt about the company and how you remembered things. Now how come your answer is '_uuuhm, not really, no_' when I ask you the same question?"

It was a total outburst that Kili didn't even paused to breathe in between sentences. His chest were rapidly going up and down when he finally stopped talking, leaving a stunned, petrified Fai.

So that was the reason making Kili mad. That was why he avoided her for days, why he barely even said a word. She didn't know what to say for it was totally out of the blue. Her worst fear had gotten true; more and more questions, coming from the one certain Dwarf she knew how to talk to the least.

"Look," she closed her eyes again in pain, without letting her continue, Kili interrupted.

"Don't mind me alright, don't you push yourself. We could do this some other time." He was regretting his decision of letting all out, and im his head there was a party of curses in Khuzdul. His timing was terrible and he really had no idea what got him to push her like that when she was clearly in pain.

"What other time?" she laughed ironically. "Next month perhaps, or the other? When will we have the decency to talk to each other properly again?"

Kili sighed and shrugged, then they both chuckled at the weirdness between them. After everything thay went through, the weirdness was no longer a stranger. In fact, it would be weird if there weren't a weird atmosphere hanging around their conversations.

"I didn't lie to you, alright, not quite.. You just asked the question in the worst time imaginable. How could I tell you about myself with all the lads around us? I told Ori things because I thought all of you were asleep. I usually don't talk about myself and when I do, I need some privacy."

Her eyes searched his for any sign of understanding. Saying those things out loud was one of the hardest things she had done since she began the journey, and thinking about there were things like torment and really annoying wounds on the list, one could tell how big the deal was. Kili nodded in quietly and wanted to slap himself for not thinking of that before. Of course she couldn't tell, it wasn't a thing to share in between a chit chat! What he asked about was serious and deserved some solitude to be unraveled. He looked back in her eyes and felt a warm feeling traveling his body. Even though she hadn't shared anything yet, she was opening up in a way and he liked that feeling. He liked talking about a thing besides wounds and trainings.

"You heard me that night. I had no one till I join your company. See, it doesn't matter where I come from, what matters is that you should know I have no one waiting for me back there. I had no family or friends. Even though you prefer to have me stayed in Rivendell, I couldn't do that. I can't be left behind, for I am kind of.. Bonded with you lads. It's the first time in my life someone actually cares about me, and trust me, it's so hard to let go of something like this."

Her words scratched Kili's heart, he could never imagine how would it be like to have _no one_. He felt hurt. Hurt in her account, for she had grown up so lonely and didn't know what was it like to have a family. Even though Kili had lost his father, he always had his brother, mother and uncle around. Love and affection were no strangers to him and he didn't know how could someone manage to live without them. There she was, pushing her boundaries to let those words out. Kili wanted to hold her in his arms and apologize for a thousand times for being a gigantic ass that he was. She had told him that it was the first time she had someone, so who was Kili to reduce the number by one? He couldn't bear to think about the days he acted like she didn't exist. He had to be there for her, no matter how hard it was for them to get along. Buried in his own thoughts, Kili didn't know what to say.

So they said nothing, they just sat there quietly, with Fai wincing or moaning in pain every now and then. Talking about her emotions was definitely a new thing and in her heart, she felt kind of happy for not lying to Kili. She found a way out without actually faking a story and she wanted to keep it that way as much as possible. Leaning forward to tuck a strand of golden hair behind her ear again, Kili had finally spoken.

"I don't wanna fight anymore, Fai. We have to find a way to be friends."

* * *

_.oOo._

* * *

**E/N: After two weeks of silence, I hope this turned out something good and I really hope that you like it.**

**An important note about this chapter. :)**

_Hey there :) I'm glad you took the time the read this. First of all, about the Dunlendings. I wanted to write something different than the typical fanfiction story arc. I wanted to give them a chapter or two before the magestic Azog scene, and I wanted to fill the gap with some original creations of Tolkien. They are a bit far from their home, yeah, but considering they are still in the 3rd age and it's been only 400 years since Eorl kicked them out, i thought it would be tolerable if they wander around the area a bit. They are a bunch of man anyways, and we know how middle-earth is, there is always some people wandering away from home. ;) and their anger is still fresh, so the fight is maybe a bit much, but i hope again, tolerable. :)_

_And another reason of this chapter that I don't want to steal the role from Bilbo. Azog is his moment and Fai won't be the hero of the day when that moment comes. So I wanted to give her her own chapter for once, where everything is just about her. Remember how she shared the torture scene with Ori, it was intentional because I don't want her to shine so bright and shadow other characters. :)_

_Hope this clears your mind, thank you so much!_


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